Chilean observatory spots brightest known galaxy

Researchers in Chile observed the brightest ever galazy spotted in the universe, according to a leading astronomer on Friday.

Using the ALMA radio-telescope located in Atacama desert, a team of astronomers, led by Tanio Diaz from Diego Portales University, managed to witness galaxy W2246-0526 expel its reserves of interstellar gas.

The university told the press in Santiago that quasars, such as W2246-0526, are distant galaxies with highly active, super-massive black holes at their core. The black holes can release powerful jets of particles and radiation.

"We saw great quantities of this interstellar material being propelled in extremely turbulent and dynamic conditions, at 2 million kilometers per hour, across the galaxy," added Diaz. "The galaxy is self-destructing." 8 The discovery will help astronomers better understand the evolution of massive elliptical galaxies and the reason they stop producing new stars.

W2246-0526 has evolved from a blue galaxy, which produced stars, to a red galaxy, which stops the production.

"If this pattern continues, it is possible that W2246-0526 will expulse the majority of the gas and dust it contains," said Manuel Aravena, co-author of the investigation published in the The Astrophysical Journal.

Galaxy W2246-0526 is located over 12 billion light years away from Earth. Endi