Black holes don’t consume all matter: what actions do these cosmic giants take?

Astronomers studying supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies are captivated not only by these cosmic giants but also by the colossal jets they emit into space at nearly the speed of light. The length of such jets can reach millions of light-years. The physics behind what creates and accelerates these jets to almost light speed remains unclear. However, researchers have now discovered a way to unravel this mystery. The study has been published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, as reported by Space.

Supermassive black holes are objects that consume matter and are located at the centers of galaxies. Their mass is millions of times greater than that of the Sun. Black holes feed on matter that orbits them in the form of an accretion disk, but most of this material does not fall into the black hole and instead is ejected into space as relativistic jets. These jets move at nearly the speed of light, with lengths reaching millions of light-years. While scientists understand the principle of how these jets operate, the exact mechanism that triggers them and why they achieve such immense speeds remains elusive. Now, the authors of the study are confident that a network of eight ground-based radio telescopes, collectively known as the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), can solve this enigma.

Astronomers utilized the EHT to peer into the heart of a distant galaxy, where the jets of a supermassive black hole are formed and accelerated. The galaxy NGC 1052 is located approximately 60 million light-years away from us and houses a supermassive black hole with a mass 150 million times that of the Sun. When viewed from Earth, the black hole emits two jets in different directions.

Although this was a promising target for visualizing the jets with the EHT, the center of the galaxy is too faint, leaving uncertainty about the success of the endeavor. Nevertheless, astronomers were able to gather significant data.

Observations revealed that the area surrounding the black hole in the galaxy NGC 1052 emits bright radio waves at a wavelength of one millimeter. According to the scientists, this wavelength range of the electromagnetic spectrum is accessible to the EHT, allowing for the creation of the clearest images possible.

At the same time, scientists note that the region around the black hole glows even brighter at slightly longer wavelengths, making it a prime target for the next generation of the EHT. This enhanced array of radio telescopes will be capable of producing not only clearer images but also videos of black holes.

Astronomers have determined that the region around the black hole, where the jets are created, is comparable in size to the ring surrounding the supermassive black hole M87*, which became the first black hole to have its direct image captured by scientists in 2019.

Observations of the black hole in the galaxy NGC 1052 revealed that the magnetic field of this cosmic giant is 40,000 times stronger than Earth's magnetic field. This magnetic field may hinder the majority of matter from falling into the black hole and assists in launching the two powerful jets.