Facts about Markarian 231

1. 07

   Observations from multiple telescopes including Chandra and Hubble reveal that Markarian 231's jets emit radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum from radio waves to gamma rays.

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2. 06

   Markarian 231's quasar luminosity exceeds that of one trillion suns, making it visible across nearly the entire observable universe despite its relatively nearby distance.

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3. 05

   At roughly 1.3 billion solar masses, each of the two black holes in Markarian 231 ranks among the most massive known objects in the observable universe.

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4. 04

   In 2017, observations revealed that Markarian 231 contains a binary supermassive black hole system with both objects actively accreting material simultaneously.

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5. 03

   Markarian 231's host galaxy shows evidence of a recent merger with another galaxy, explaining the violent quasar activity observed in this system.

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6. 02

   Approximately 600 million light-years away, Markarian 231 is the nearest known quasar to Earth, discovered in 1969 by Soviet astronomer Boris Markarian.

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7. 01

   The supermassive black hole at Markarian 231's center ejects a powerful wind at 2,000 kilometers per second, making it the fastest outflow ever observed in any galaxy.

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