# New space observatory helps solve mystery involving enormous black holes
Author:  Pal Sinha, Barnali 
Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali
Published: 2022-11-24
Category: NEWS
Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/news
Meta Title: Researchers unlock secrets of luminous black hole jets
Meta Description: Discover how shock waves energize subatomic particles in blazars, emitting X-rays and creating bright jets of high-energy particles far into space.
URL: https://financedigest.com/new-space-observatory-helps-solve-mystery-involving-enormous-black-holeshtml

![undefined](https://prod.superblogcdn.com/site_cuid_cm5qst7v3003gwirgwqtxn8i8/images/2022-11-23t185933z3lynxmpeiam0syrtroptp4space-exploration-blackhole-1736814820447-compressed.jpg)

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Most galaxies are built around humongous black holes. While many of these are comparatively docile, like the one at our Milky Way’s center, some are fierce – guzzling surrounding material and unleashing huge and blazingly bright jets of high-energy particles far into space.

Using [data from the recently deployed Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer](https://www.financedigest.com/from-sec-edgar-to-business-applications-exploring-an-alternative-to-manual-data-extraction.html "From SEC EDGAR to Business Applications: Exploring an Alternative to Manual Data Extraction") (IXPE) orbiting observatory, researchers on Wednesday offered an explanation for how these jets become so luminous: subatomic particles called electrons becoming energized by shock waves moving at supersonic speed away from the black hole.

The researchers studied an exotic object called a blazar at the center of a large elliptical galaxy [named Markarian 501 located about 460 million light years](https://www.financedigest.com/praxity-named-association-of-year-at-iab-awards.html "Praxity named Association of Year at IAB Awards") away from Earth in the direction of the constellation Hercules. A light year is the distance light [travels](https://www.financedigest.com/ferry-industry-celebrates-fifth-successive-year-of-growth-for-car-travel-by-sea-and-four-new-ships-launching-in-next-twelve-months.html "Ferry industry celebrates fifth successive year of growth for car travel by sea And four new ships launching in next twelve months") in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km).

Blazars are a subset of objects called quasars that are [powered by supermassive black](https://www.financedigest.com/back-to-black-germanys-coal-power-plan-hits-hurdles.html "Back to black? Germany’s coal power plan hits hurdles") holes feeding on gas and other material at the center of galaxies and sending two jets of particles in opposite directions into space. Blazars are oriented such that one of their two jets from our vantage point on Earth is heading directly at us.

“Blazars are the most persistently bright objects in the observable universe. They are the most energetic. They have the biggest, scariest black holes. Everything that happens around them is so fascinating,” said astronomer Yannis Liodakis of the Finnish Centre for Astronomy with ESO, [lead author of the research published](https://www.financedigest.com/adnami-welcomes-svenja-damzog-as-publisher-director-dach-to-lead-continued-expansion-in-the-region.html "Adnami welcomes Svenja Damzog as Publisher Director DACH to lead continued expansion in the region") in the journal Nature.

[Scientists have long sought to understand how the jets launched](https://www.financedigest.com/atonomi-to-launch-blockchain-based-self-sovereign-identity-research-with-leading-mit-scientist.html "Atonomi To Launch Blockchain-Based, Self-Sovereign Identity Research with leading MIT Scientist") from blazars become so luminous and the behavior of the particles in them. The [jets from this blazar extend to a distance of about a million light years](https://www.financedigest.com/over-150-new-business-jets-could-be-delivered-to-europe-this-year-worth-an-estimated-5-billion.html "Over 150 New Business Jets Could Be Delivered To Europe This Year Worth An Estimated $ 5 Billion").

IXPE, [launched last](https://www.financedigest.com/mercedes-benz-launches-e-class-its-last-new-combustion-engine-model.html "Mercedes-Benz launches E-Class, its last new combustion engine model") December as a collaboration between the U.S. space agency NASA and the Italian Space Agency, measures the [brightness](https://www.financedigest.com/sun-park-offers-a-bright-light-for-homebuyers.html "Sun Park Offers A Bright Light For Homebuyers") and polarization – a property of light involving the orientation of the electromagnetic waves – of X-ray light from cosmic sources. Different phenomena, like shock waves or turbulence, present polarization “signatures.”

The researchers found evidence that particles in the jet become energized when [hit with a shock wave](https://www.financedigest.com/cash-loving-germans-fret-over-exploding-atms-as-cross-border-crime-wave-hits.html "Cash-loving Germans fret over exploding ATMs as cross-border crime wave hits") propagating outward inside the stream and emit X-rays as they accelerate. A shock wave is produced when something [moves faster than the speed of sound through a medium like air](https://www.financedigest.com/olympics-freestyle-skiing-gu-lands-big-air-gold-china-moves-to-top-of-medals-table.html "Olympics-Freestyle skiing-Gu lands Big Air gold, China moves to top of medals table") – as a supersonic jet does as it flies through Earth’s atmosphere – or a region with particles and magnetic fields called a plasma, as in this case.

The [light that we see from the jets comes from electrons,” said Boston University astrophysicist and study](https://www.financedigest.com/playground-xyz-shines-a-light-on-the-nuanced-interplay-between-context-creativity-and-attention-for-advertisers-in-new-study.html "Playground xyz shines a light on the nuanced interplay between context, creativity and attention for advertisers in new study") co-author Alan Marscher. “X-rays of the type that we observe in Markarian 501 can only come from extremely high-energy electrons.”

The [driving force](https://www.financedigest.com/rapid-action-force-regarding-innovations-to-drive-the-medical-devices-market.html "Rapid Action Force regarding Innovations to drive the Medical Devices Market") behind this drama is a black hole, an extraordinarily dense object with gravity so powerful that not even light can escape. The supermassive black hole at the center of Markarian 501 has a mass somewhere around a billion [times the mass of our sun](https://www.financedigest.com/sun-realm-switches-complicated-spreadsheet-reporting-for-ground-breaking-insight-solution-generating-time-savings-of-over-30.html "Sun Realm switches complicated spreadsheet reporting for ground breaking Insight solution generating time savings of over 30%"). That is about 200 times larger than the mass of Sagittarius A\*, the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole.

[“Black holes are unique laboratories to study](https://www.financedigest.com/specialty-carbon-black-market-is-anticipated-to-grow-at-a-significant-rate-tmr-study.html "Specialty Carbon Black Market is anticipated to Grow at a Significant Rate | TMR Study") fundamental physics in extreme conditions we cannot replicate on Earth,” Liodakis said.

However, before we can use them as such, we [need to understand all the physical processes that take place](https://www.financedigest.com/fintech-needs-women-5-reasons-why-this-is-the-place-to-be.html "Fintech needs women – 5 reasons why this is the place to be"). For many years we would observe high-energy light from those sources and had a few theories how the particles that emit that light would be energized. The X-ray polarization capabilities of IXPE allowed us for the first time to directly test our theories,” Liodakis said.

(Reporting by Will Dunham; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)


---
This blog is powered by Superblog. Visit https://superblog.ai to know more.
---