3,000-light-year-long jet provides new clues to the first black hole ever imaged
Astronomers have located the origin point of a jet of matter thousands of light years long emanating from the supermassive black hole M87*.
A 3,000-light-year-long jet of plasma is erupting from the galaxy Messier 87 (M87) and its central black hole.
NASA/ESA/STSCI/Alec Lessing/Stanford University/Michael Shaara/AMNH (image); Edward Baltz/Stanford University (Acknowledgment); Joseph DePasquale/STSCI (image processing)
Located at the center of the galaxy Messier 87 (M87), the supermassive black hole M87* holds a special place in the history books of science: it is the first black hole ever painted And NASA’s origin is has called “One of nature’s most amazing phenomena.” That’s because the black hole is spewing a giant jet of material that’s blazing a 3,000 light-year-long path through the universe.
M87* is a messy and greedy eater: As dust and gas fall toward it, the black hole expels powerful jets of charged particles. But astronomers still did not know exactly where these jets originated. In new research published in journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, Scientists have presented evidence of what they believe is the “first indication” of M87*’s jet base.
Using observations from the Event Horizon Telescope, the team investigated the glowing ring of superhot material around M87* and identified what they believe is a “likely situation” for the origin of the extremely long jet.
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The first image of the black hole at the center of the galaxy M87. The image was released in April 2019.
Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration
The results could inform future studies of the mechanics of M87*’s hyperbolic jet and similar supermassive black holes.
“This study represents an initial step toward linking theoretical ideas about jet launching with direct observations,” said Saurabh, lead author of the paper and a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, Germany. statement.
“Identifying where the jet may originate from and how it connects to the black hole’s shadow adds an important piece to the puzzle and points toward a better understanding of how the central engine operates,” he said.
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