Astronomers from across the world have categorised a galaxy after discovering that the supermassive black hole at its centre has reversed course and is now headed in our way. PBC J2333.9-2343 is the designation for the distant galaxy that is 657 Mpc from Earth.
"We started to study this galaxy as it showed peculiar properties. Our hypothesis was that the relativistic jet of its supermassive black hole had changed its direction, and to confirm that idea we had to carry out a lot of observations," said Dr Lorena Hernandez-Garcia, Royal Astronomical Society (RAS).
Scientists saw the shift and documented it in research. They claim that scientists first labelled the galaxy as a radio galaxy, but later realised the space phenomenon had rotated 90 degrees, with its centre now facing towards Earth.
This classifies the galaxy as a "blazar," or a galaxy with jets aimed towards Earth. Blazars are very energetic objects that are among the most potent phenomena in the Universe, according to RAS.
According to astronomers, the most striking feature of radio observations of the galaxy is the formation of two enormous lobes on each side by jet material from the black hole.
"The fact that we see the nucleus is not feeding the lobes anymore means that they are very old. They are the relics of past activity, whereas the structures located closer to the nucleus represent younger and active jets," Hernandez-Garcia said.
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According to the research, astronomers are split on whether or not PBC J2333.9-2343 collided with another galaxy, which would explain the abrupt change in direction.
How the black hole's orientation will impact our galaxy is likewise unclear.
