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Space
Space
Science
Robert Lea

The most powerful black holes in the universe may finally have an explanation

An illustration of the quasar P172+18 as it blasts out powerful jets of matter and radiation. (Image credit: ESO-M Kornmesser)

Scientists may have solved a 60-year-old mystery by discovering that quasars —  energetic objects that are powered by ravenous supermassive black holes and can outshine trillions of stars combined — form when galaxies collide and merge.

The findings indicate that the Milky Way could host a quasar of its own when it collides with the neighboring Andromeda galaxy several billion years from now. 

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