MS 0735.6+7421
Galaxy cluster with a massive black hole and powerful eruption.
MS 0735.6+7421 is a galaxy cluster in the constellation Camelopardalis, about 2.6 billion light-years from Earth. It is famous for hosting one of the largest black holes ever found at the center of a galaxy, which has also triggered one of the most powerful known eruptions from an active galactic nucleus.
Data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory shows that an eruption has been underway at the cluster’s core for the last 100 million years, releasing as much energy over that time as hundreds of millions of gamma-ray bursts (the yearly output is thus equivalent to several GRBs). The eruption’s remnants appear as two cavities on either side of a large central galaxy. If the outburst—with a total energy exceeding 10⁵⁵ joules—came from a black hole accreting matter, it would have had to consume nearly 600 million solar masses. However, work by Brian McNamara and colleagues (2008) suggests the outburst may not have been caused by accretion but instead powered by the black hole’s rotation. They also raised the possibility that the central black hole in MS 0735.6+7421 could be among the largest in the visible universe. This is supported by the fact that the cluster’s central cD galaxy has the largest known break radius. With a calculated light deficit of more than 20 billion solar luminosities and an assumed light-to-mass ratio of 3, the central black hole mass would be well above 10 billion solar masses, assuming the break radius resulted from past mergers of several black holes. Combined with the enormous energy outburst, it is very likely that MS 0735.6+7421 contains a supermassive black hole at its core. The cluster has a redshift of 64,800 ± 900 km/s and an apparent size of 25 arcminutes. Newer calculations using the spheroidal luminosity of the central galaxy and its break radius estimate black hole masses of 15.8 +26.8−9.9 billion M☉ (10¹⁰·²⁰ ± 0.43) and 51.3 +96.6−33.5 billion M☉ (10¹⁰·⁷¹ ± 0.46), with a range from 17.8 billion to 147.9 billion M☉.
The brightest cluster galaxy in MS 0735.6+7421 is the elliptical galaxy 4C +74.13, also known as LEDA 2760958, classified as a radio galaxy. With a diameter of about 400 kpc, it has a steep-spectrum radio source. Its core has a spectral index α₁₄₀₀³²⁵ = –1.54, while its outer radio lobes measure α₁₄₀₀³²⁵ < –3.1. Studies indicate that core activity has recently restarted in the form of two inner lobes.
Quick Facts
- Epoch
- J2000
- Ra
- 07 · 41 · 50.2
- Dec
- +74 · 14 · 51
- Redshift
- 64,800 ± 900 km/s
- Distance
- 2.6 billion light-years
- Names
- ZwCl 0735.7+7421
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Using data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, scientists deduced that an eruption has been occurring for the last 100 million years at the heart of the galaxy cluster, releasing as much energy over this time as hundreds of millions of gamma ray bursts. The remnants of the eruption are seen as two cavities on either side of a large central galaxy. If this outburst, with a total energy budget of more than 10^55 J, was caused by a black hole accretion event, it must have consumed nearly 600 million solar masses.
Work done by Brian McNamara et al. (2008) pointed out the striking possibility that the outburst was not the result of an accretion event, but was instead powered by the rotation of the black hole. Moreover, the scientists mentioned the possibility that the central black hole in MS 0735.6+7421 could be one of the biggest black holes inhabiting the visible universe. This speculation is supported by the fact that the central cD Galaxy inside MS 0735.6+7421 possesses the largest break radius known, as of today. With a calculated light deficit of more than 20 billion solar luminosities and an assumed light-to-mass ratio of 3, this yields a central black hole mass much above 10 billion solar masses, as far as the break radius was caused by the merger of several black holes in the past.
The brightest cluster galaxy in MS 0735.6+7421 is the elliptical galaxy, 4C +74.13, also known as LEDA 2760958, classified as a radio galaxy. With a diameter of around 400 kpc, the galaxy shows a steep spectrum radio source. Hot X-ray emitting gas pervades the cluster, with two vast cavities—each 600,000 ly in diameter—appearing on opposite sides of a large galaxy at the center. These cavities are filled with a two-sided, elongated, magnetized bubble of extremely high-energy electrons that emit radio waves.
Reader's Guide
MS 0735.6+7421 is significant as a site of one of the most powerful active galactic nucleus eruptions ever discovered, with a total energy budget exceeding 10^55 J. The eruption, ongoing for 100 million years, has created two vast cavities in the cluster's hot X-ray gas, each 600,000 light-years across. The central black hole's mass is estimated to be extremely large, with newer calculations yielding masses of 15.8 +26.8−9.9 billion solar masses and 51.3 +96.6−33.5 billion solar masses, based on the spheroidal luminosity and break radius of the central galaxy. The possibility that the outburst was powered by black hole rotation rather than accretion adds to its scientific interest. The cluster's brightest galaxy, 4C +74.13, is a radio galaxy with a steep spectrum radio source and evidence of recent core activity. The cluster's legacy lies in its challenge to models of black hole growth and energy release, and it remains a key object for studying supermassive black holes and their impact on galaxy cluster environments.
Did You Know?
- The eruption in MS 0735.6+7421 has been occurring for the last 100 million years.
- The two cavities in the cluster are each 600,000 light-years in diameter.
- The central black hole may have a mass much above 10 billion solar masses.
- The outburst may have been powered by the rotation of the black hole, not an accretion event.
More in Astronomical X-ray sources 1-24
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