The new data are extremely helpful for building a theoretical interpretation of these events," Monika Mościbrodzka, of Radboud University and co-author of the study, said in a statement. "Now we find strong evidence for a magnetic origin of these flares and our observations give us a clue about the geometry of the process. Guisardįurther, findings of the team's new study also appear to be in line with another long-theorized hypothesis: that flares spit from the Milky Way's center are rooted in magnetic interactions stemming from hot gas swirling near Sgr A*. It's pointed in the direction of the center of our Milky Way galaxy.ĮSO and Digitized Sky Survey 2. This visible light, wide-field view shows rich star clouds in the constellation of Sagittarius. Astronomers today revealed a picture of the gargantuan black hole at the heart of the nearby galaxy Messier 87 (M87).
student at Radboud University in the Netherlands and co-author of the study, said in a statement. "Perhaps these hot spots detected at infrared wavelengths are a manifestation of the same physical phenomenon: as infrared-emitting hot spots cool down, they become visible at longer wavelengths, like the ones observed by ALMA and the EHT," Jesse Vos, a Ph.D. Possibly, the reason we're seeing this energetic activity at varying wavelengths - X-ray, infrared and radio - is that their properties are changing over time. In fact, such flares have been detected in the past through both X-ray and infrared observations of Sagittarius A*, but this is the first time anyone has discovered them through radio telescope data - and with a "very strong indication" at that. The study scientists think their newly located hot spot, according to the European Southern Observatory, is associated with bursts, or flares, of X-ray energy emitted from the Milky Way's center.
#ABOUT BLACKHOLE FULL#
"We think we're looking at a hot bubble of gas zipping around Sagittarius A* on an orbit similar in size to that of the planet Mercury, but making a full loop in just around 70 minutes," Maciek Wielgus, of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Germany and lead author of the study published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, said in a statement. This spot, they say, seems to be dimming and brightening while traveling clockwise around Sgr A*. And last month, a crew working with a powerful radio telescope called the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array Observatory gleaned some novel clues.Īfter checking out ALMA data recorded in tandem with EHT observations of Sgr A*, during the black hole's monumental imaging procedure, the team spotted what it calls a "hot spot" flitting around the abyss. There was far more to learn from Sgr A*.įrom Earth's vantage point, about 27,000 light-years away from this black hole, astronomers have been vigilantly watching and studying the void in an attempt to decode how, exactly, the Milky Way's ferocious engine works. This marked the first time we ever laid eyes on her majesty - a tremendous moment in its own right - but scientists weren't done yet. It was a mind-bending portrait of Sagittarius A*, the mighty black hole anchoring our galaxy, its gravitational pull silently brushing every star, planet and asteroid within. In this episode of The Stream, we will talk about the latest theories about black holes and the public’s fascination with them.In May, the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration shocked the world when it released an image of what appears to be a splotchy French cruller on fire. Yet so much remains unknown and mysterious about the nature of black holes. And the first-ever black hole audio remix from the Perseus galaxy cluster had a recent viral moment on social media. In May, scientists shared the first-ever image of Sagittarius A* – a supermassive black hole at the centre of our Milky Way galaxy. Aided by the latest advancements in telescopes and imaging technology, astronomers say they are in the midst of a new era of black hole science. Once deemed purely theoretical, black holes have now been imaged twice, building upon years of indirect observational research.
But how much do scientists really know about black holes, and what purpose do they serve? A black hole is believed to be the most extreme environment in the universe – an area in space where the force of gravity is so intense, not even light can escape.
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