Discovery gives insight into black holes

UW Bothell researchers helped contribute to a major astronomy discovery: the fastest ultraviolet outflow ever observed from a supermassive black hole.

The discovery focuses on a distant quasar called J2318, which is producing a powerful wind moving at nearly 30% of the speed of light. The finding helps scientists better understand how energy from black holes can affect star formation and shape the growth of galaxies over time.

Dr. Paola Rodríguez Hidalgo, associate professor in the School of STEM, and Liliana Flores, a UW Bothell Physics graduate and former undergraduate researcher, worked with an international team led by York University to study the quasar and measure the outflow.

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