Astronomers Catch a Brutal Act of Cosmic Violence of One Galaxy Piercing Into Another With a Deadly Radiation

Very few space phenomena could possibly compare with the grandeur of intergalactic violence. An instance of it was captured by Chile’s Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope, stated Gizmodo. This interaction stood apart from others of its kind because researchers noted that one of the bodies was using a special weapon against the other. Findings regarding this particular event have been published in Nature.

The interaction has been labelled 'cosmic joust' by researchers. Estimates suggest that the clash is taking place around 11 billion light years away. According to observations, both galaxies are clashing at a speed of around  311 miles per second. This showcases the intensity of the interaction. Further examination indicates that one of the galaxies has in its arsenal a deadly radiation beam, which it is using in this 'fight.'

The radiation beam is being released by a certain kind of galactic core called a quasar, according to Sci News. Quasars are bright cores inside a galaxy that are powered by supermassive black holes. These cores can release a large amount of radiation. One of the galaxies involved in the 'cosmic joust' is putting to use a quasar to destroy its opponent.

Researchers have long speculated that quasars were common during the early years of the universe. The 'cosmic joust' aligns with this assertion, as this interaction happened when the Universe was just 18% of its current age. Researchers are yet to figure out whether the interaction has come to a close or not. Dr. Sergei Balashev, an astronomer at the Ioffe Institute, claimed that this is the first time researchers are witnessing how quasar radiation can impact the internal structure of the gas residing within a galaxy.

Experts named the radiation in this 'cosmic joust' as J012555.11-012925.00. According to further examinations, this radiation is essentially causing a sort of disturbance in the clouds of gas and dust within the recipient galaxy. The impact is destroying everything, except the densest section of the body. 

The study claims that the radiation in this situation is severely hampering the star formation capability of the 'victim' galaxy, according to Science Daily. This is because the dense regions left behind are too small to create stars. Researchers further claimed that this radiation is not stopping because the black hole powering the quasar is being fed by the 'merging' happening in this 'cosmic joust.'

These clashes typically happen to facilitate the merging of the warring galaxies. In such cases, a huge amount of gas comes into the black holes present in the centre of both galaxies. Here, the gas acts as a fuel for the black hole powering the quasar, aiding the core in continuing its attack. Experts are hopeful that they will be able to get an even more in-depth look into this 'cosmic joust' in the future with the use of a more powerful telescope like ESO's Extremely Large Telescope. These detailed findings could help them in understanding the phenomenon's effect on the host as well as nearby galaxies.