Supermassive Black Holes May Be Ruining Potentially Habitable Planets By Destroying Their Atmosphere [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

BY NINA GODLEWSKI @NINAGODLEWSKI ON 05/30/17 AT 5:44 PM


Scientists have discovered black holes may be doing more damage to their surroundings than originally thought. A study published this month shows quasars may be responsible for disappearing atmospheres in our galaxy along with the rest of the universe.

Quasars are the cores of active galaxies and are made up of supermassive black holes, NASA said. These bright, star-like objects are far away in space but give off powerful radio waves. The study reveals just how these quasars and black holes actually impact the planets around them.

The study revealed about 50 percent of all planets in the universe could lose the equivalent of the atmosphere on Mars and 10 percent may lose the equivalent of Earth’s atmosphere due to these quasars. The loss of atmosphere occurs because the quasars create an energy transfer that causes the makeup of the atmosphere to disappear.

Essentially, the supermassive black holes are accompanied by light that grows brighter and brighter due to gas. When it gains this light, it can outshine stars in the area. That light can illuminate the atmosphere of planets and subsequently transfer energy to the particles that make up the atmosphere. When that happens, those particles then have the energy to leave the atmosphere because they can break free of the gravitational pull, the study found.

More:
http://www.ibtimes.com/supermassive-black-holes-may-be-ruining-potentially-habitable-planets-destroying-2545533