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Aterrifying glimpse of a possible fate for our galaxy, the Milky Way, has come to light thanks to the discovery of a cosmic anomaly that challenges our understanding of the universe.
An international team of astronomers, led by CHRIST University in Bangalore, has discovered that an enormous spiral galaxy, almost a billion light years from Earth, harbors a supermassive black hole with a mass billions of times that of the Sun, feeding colossal radio jets that extend six million light years in diameter.
This is one of the largest known for any spiral galaxy and disproves -- according to the authors -- the belief about the evolution of galaxies, as these powerful jets are found almost exclusively in elliptical galaxies, not spirals.
Mass extinction on Earth
It also means that the Milky Way could create similar energetic jets in the future, with the cosmic, gamma and X-rays they produce wreaking havoc on our solar system due to the increased radiation and the possibility of causing a mass extinction on Earth.
"This discovery is more than just a simple curiosity: it forces us to rethink how galaxies evolve and how supermassive black holes grow within them and shape their environments," said lead author Professor Joydeep Bagchi from CHRIST University in Bangalore.
If a spiral galaxy can not only survive but thrive in such extreme conditions, what does this mean for the future of galaxies like our Milky Way?
Could our galaxy one day experience similar high-energy phenomena that would have serious consequences for the survival of the precious life it harbours?
In the new study, published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, researchers unravelled the structure and evolution of the spiral galaxy 2MASX J23453268-0449256, which is three times the size of the Milky Way.
Using observations from the Hubble Space Telescope, the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope, the Atacama Large Millimeter Wave Array and multi-wavelength analysis, they detected a huge supermassive black hole at its core and radio jets that are among the largest known for any spiral galaxy, making it an unusual phenomenon.
Traditionally, scientists believed that the violent activity of these colossal jets from supermassive black holes would alter the delicate structure of a spiral galaxy.
However, against all odds, 2MASX J23453268-0449256 has retained its tranquility, with well-defined spiral arms, a luminous nuclear bar and an intact stellar ring, all while harboring one of the most extreme black holes ever observed in such an environment, the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) reports.
To add to the enigma, the galaxy is surrounded by a vast halo of hot, X-ray-emitting gas, providing key insight into its history. While this halo slowly cools over time, the black hole's jets act like a cosmic oven, preventing the formation of new stars despite the presence of abundant star-forming material.
Comparison with the Milky Way
Our Milky Way harbors a 4 million solar mass black hole -Sagittarius A star- at its center, but it is currently in an extremely quiet and inactive state.
This could change if a gas cloud, star or even a small dwarf galaxy were accreted (effectively devoured), the researchers say, which could trigger significant jet activity. These events are known as Tidal Disruption Events and several have been observed in other galaxies, but not in the Milky Way.
If large jets like this were to emerge from Sagittarius A, their impact would depend on their strength, direction and energy output, according to the researchers.
A jet that pointed near our solar system could erode planetary atmospheres, damage DNA and increase mutation rates due to exposure to radiation, while if Earth were exposed to a direct or near jet, it could degrade our ozone layer and lead to a mass extinction.
A third possibility is that a powerful jet could alter the interstellar medium and affect star formation in certain regions, which is what has happened in the galaxy on which the new paper focused.
Astronomers believe that the Milky Way probably had large-scale radio jets in the past and, although it could generate them again in the future, experts cannot determine exactly when, as it depends on many factors.
Dark matter clues
The research team also found that J23453268-0449256 contains 10 times more dark matter than the Milky Way, which is crucial for the stability of its fast-rotating disk.
By revealing an unprecedented balance between dark matter, black hole activity and galactic structure, the experts claimed that their study opens up new frontiers in astrophysics and cosmology.
"Understanding these rare galaxies could provide vital clues about the invisible forces that govern the universe, including the nature of dark matter, the long-term fate of galaxies and the origin of life," said co-author Shankar Ray, a PhD student at CHRIST University in Bangalore.