Andromeda's Bling: Tiny Greedy Quasar Found

[Craig]

http://news.discovery.com/space/andromedas-bling-tiny-feasting-quasar-found-121213.html

 

When we talk of quasars, we think: early universe; angry black holes in the centers of galaxies; gobs of energy; the ancient light of which is used today by astronomers to understand the primordial cosmos and the expansion of space-time. But what if I told you that astronomers have not only discovered a quasar in our modern Universe, but they've also discovered it right in our intergalactic back yard?

 

That's right, the nearby spiral galaxy Andromeda is strutting some quasar bling.

 

But don't go thinking Andromeda is having some galactic-sized delusions of grandeur, this particular quasar is a pipsqueak compared to the quasars of old. That said, microquasar XMMU J004243.6+412519 is something of a celebrity -- it's the first microquasar to be discovered beyond our own galaxy.