NASA's Fermi Finds the Farthest Blazars

Blazars are among the universe's most luminous objects, powered by supermassive black holes. They emit high-energy light, observed by NASA's Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope. Recent discoveries include five distant gamma ray blazars, with black holes billions of times the mass of our Sun. These findings suggest that massive black holes formed early in cosmic history, though the exact process remains unclear. Researchers aim to find more blazars to understand the evolution of powerful cosmic jets and rapid black hole development in the early universe.

What is the primary energy source for a blazar?

• Dark matter interactions

• Cosmic microwave background radiation

• Matter falling into a supermassive black hole

• Nuclear fusion in stars

Why are blazars considered extremely luminous?

• They have more stars than typical galaxies.

• They emit light in all directions equally.

• We observe them almost directly down their jet.

• They are closer to Earth than other galaxies.

What is notable about the black hole in the record-holding blazar?

• It is the smallest known black hole.

• It has a mass of about 3 billion Suns.

• It is located in the Milky Way galaxy.

• It is the oldest black hole ever discovered.

What is a significant challenge in understanding the formation of massive black holes early in the universe?

• Understanding how mergers can build billion solar mass black holes quickly

• Lack of observational data from telescopes

• The influence of dark energy on black hole growth

• Inability to detect gamma rays from distant galaxies

What do scientists hope to achieve by studying more blazars?

• To discover new elements in the universe

• To measure the speed of light in different parts of the universe

• To map out the evolution of powerful jets over cosmic timescales

• To find new planets in distant galaxies