Astronomers Saw a Mysterious Object So Bright That It Broke Physics

Astronomers have discovered a mysterious cosmic object that shines about 10 million times brighter than the Sun. This puzzling object seems to defy a basic principle of astrophysics. To put it into perspective, the object is so bright that if it were placed 474 billion kilometers away from us, or about 3100 times the Earth-Sun distance, it would still appear as bright as the Sun does during daytime. The object puzzled astronomers because not only does it produce enormous energy, but it also shines 100-500 times brighter than what the previously known laws of physics permit. However, when they studied it in detail, they stumbled upon new physics that added to our knowledge of how the universe works. So, what exactly is this object that’s shining so brightly? What’s the mechanism behind the tremendous energy output from this object? Finally, and most importantly, how has this finding opened doors to new physics? The 64th episode of the Sunday Discovery Series answers these questions. All Episodes Of The Series: https://bit.ly/369kG4p Basics of Astrophysics series: https://bit.ly/3xII54M RESEARCH PAPER: Orbital Decay in M82 X-2, Bachetti et al (The Astrophysical Journal) - https://bit.ly/3PADw9r Created By: Rishabh Nakra Written and Researched By: Shreejaya Karantha Narrated By: Jeffrey Smith