Astronomers discovered the starting process of the merging of two galaxies- Was 49a and Was 49b, a large and a Dwarf Galaxy. The smaller galaxy was found orbiting the larger one. The small galaxy was brighter, suggesting that a supermassive black hole (SBH) lies at tits center. The discovery is a new dilemma to scientists, as the black hole at its core has a huge mass; nearly two percent the mass of its host galaxy, which does not correlate with what is known about galaxies of similar sizes.
Was 49
This is a system of galaxies comprising a large galaxy- Was 49a and a dwarf galaxy-Was 49b.
The two bodies are in the process of merging, with the smaller one orbiting in the periphery of the larger one at approximately 26,000 light-years from its center. It´s believed that the orbiting one contains an SBH at its core that is enormous, closely to 2 percent the mass of its host galaxy, if paralleled to galaxies of similar dimensions. It´s thought that the Dwarf galaxy´s SBH is hundreds of times bigger than any other BH within other galaxies of the same size.
The Black hole at the center of Was 49 b
The enormous body within this galaxy contains an active galactic nucleus (AGN). This is a phenomenon which emits high energy radiation. This process occurs as the BH devours huge quantities of gas and dust to form a donut-shaped formation that whirls around the BH.
The size of this galaxy and the BH at its core was determined by separating the spectral color around the BH contrasting with the normal color of starlight.
What is abnormal about this system?
Generally, at the time when two galaxies start to merge, the larger galaxy´s central BH becomes active, pulling matter into it. This causes the matter to be converted into energetic X-rays that are ejected as a jet into space.
It´s normal that the larger galaxy absorbs more matter than the small one; however, it isn´t so in this system, as the dwarf galaxy has a brighter AGN and the BH within it is enormous, as opposed to the larger galaxy whose BH is restful. It´s not known whether the huge size of the black hole was like this before or if it started to gain mass at the time of the merging.
