Quasars are the brightest, most powerful objects in the universe, but in the 60 years since they were first discovered, scientists couldn't explain how they formed, until now.
In a new study, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, galaxy mergers are identified as the triggering event that produces these enormous galactic furnaces.
Quasars can pack as much energy as a trillion stars into a space the size of our solar system, making them the most powerful, and brightest, objects in our universe. But in the decades since they were discovered, there has been considerable debate about what could trigger such an explosion of energy.
Now, thanks to observations from researchers at the Universities of Sheffield and Hertfordshire, the evidence appears to fall firmly with galaxy mergers as the triggering event for quasar formation.
To read more, click here.