Black holes, those mysterious Deep space objects that look straight out of science fiction continue Fascinating To scholars and the general public. It has been achieved recently Decisive breakthrough In our understanding of one of these Cosmic giantsThe supermassive black hole at the center of the Messier 87 galaxy, also known as M87.
To put it plainly, this black hole is 6.5 billion times larger than our sun. Imagine something so dense and powerful that not even light can escape its gravity. This is the black hole in M87, and for the past two decades, scientists have been studying it intensely.
Basic Secrets What surrounds black holes is the formation of plasma jets. These jets are streams of particles that are accelerated to near-light speeds and are ejected from the vicinity of the black hole. How are they created and what drives them?
An international team of scientists led by Chinese researcher Yuzhou Cui and with the participation of the Andalusian Astrophysical Institute (IAA-CSIC) presented An important step in solving this puzzle. Using data collected over more than 20 years by the Event Horizon Telescope, a network of radio telescopes around the world, they were able to examine the black hole in M87 in detail, even photographing it in April 2019.
The most exciting thing is what they found: the flow of plasma emanating from the black hole is oscillating, moving up and down at an angle of about 10 degrees. This means that the black hole exists rotation This rotation follows a cycle of approximately eleven years, just as Albert Einstein predicted in his theory of general relativity. In other words, M87 is Dance in the universe!
But here comes the really interesting part. According to advanced data and simulations, the axis of rotation of the accretion disk surrounding the black hole has become out of alignment with the rotation of the accretion disk itself. This is what causes the wonderful oscillation of the plasma jet we discovered. You can imagine them as two rings rotating in slightly different directions, creating a pattern of motion wavy.
What we don’t know yet
Despite this exciting discovery, we still have many unknowns to resolve. We do not know specifically the structure of the accretion disk or the exact rotational speed of M87. However, the good news is that research is continuing, and scientists are working tirelessly to uncover more of the secrets of these mysterious supermassive black holes.
The future of research
So we have taken a big step towards understanding black holes and their interesting phenomena. The black hole in M87 has surprised us with its twisty cosmic dance, but there is still much more to discover. Science doesn’t stand still, and with every advance like this, we get a little closer to understanding Secrets Universe. Stay tuned, because we may soon be surprised by new discoveries about the universe and what goes around it wonders.
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