Just about every galaxy has a supermassive black hole (SMBH). Here are some questions that take things a bit further ...
A. Is there any galaxy with two or more SMBHs? If so, how did this likely happen? Have any galaxies been found without a supermassive black hole in the center?
Yes (to both) - Galaxies with two
SMBHs are likely the result of the merger of two separate galaxies. They
even found a galaxy with
three supermassive black holes! Galaxy
M33 does not appear to contain a SMBH. It is also a galaxy without a
central bulge (the galaxy is only a disk). This may be an important clue
as to how galaxies develop.
B. Is there any relationship between the mass of the SMBH and the galaxy it resides in?
Yes - The more massive the SMBH is, the more massive the central bulge. To be more specific, the central bulge's mass is typically 700 times the mass of the SMBH. It is unknown how or why these variables are related ... so maybe you can figure it out???
C. In the last decade, has the SMBH within our galaxy undergone any changes? If so, what were the changes and when did they occur?
Yes - a gas cloud (designated G2) got very close to our SMBH and surprisingly did NOT get shredded in 2014 but survived to the amazement of astronomers. Perhaps the gas cloud had a star hidden within it ... or the exact location and speed of the cloud was misunderstood. However, another chance event occurred in 2013. A magnetar (neutron star with a super strong magnetic field) happened to "photo bomb" our SMBH. Actually it was 1/3 of a light year away from it but was seen directly in our line of sight. Suprise! In May 2019 our SMBH got 75 times brighter for 2 hours but for unknown reasons.
D. When a SMBH is forming, energetic jets are produced at the poles (region perpendicular to the accretion disk). This gives rise to galactic jets shown in the reading material. Is there any evidence that the earth was ever in the line of sight of one of these jets (like a gun pointed at your face)? If so, give an example.
Yes - We see a normal quasar as a SMBH in the making. However, we sometimes see much more radiation (gamma radiation) and the best guess is that we are seeing is the thing viewed jet-on. These objects have been named Blazars. Click here. Over 1000 have been discovered so I'll leave it to you to report on at least one.
E. In 2015 astronomers discovered a SMBH named SDSS J0100+2802. What was so unusual about this SMBH that it is forcing astronomers into conflict? What is that conflict?
SDSS J0100+2802 is extremely massive (12 billion solar masses) but is also very far away .. meaning it formed in the first billion years of the universe. The problem is how do you make such a massive thing in so short of time? There is a term related to how fast a SMBH can form (known as the Eddington limit). Basically it says that a SMBH can only gain mass at a certain rate. As matter fall towards a SMBH, it heats and produces an outward pressure that works against gravity .... limiting the amount of mass that can then fall into the black hole. SDSS J0100+2802 formed much faster than the Eddington limit. Perhaps, it was two separate SMBHs that later merged????