Ultrapowerful magnetic fields revealed in 1st ever image of a black hole

[Judi Lynn]

By Stephanie Pappas - Live Science Contributor 12 hours ago

The magnetic field may kick a huge jet of matter and energy out of the black hole.



The black hole at the center of the galaxy M87, viewed in polarized light. The polarization reveals the direction of the magnetic field around the black hole. (Image credit: EHT Collaboration)

First-of-their-kind images of the magnetic field around a black hole may explain how the black hole shoots out a jet of energy and matter more than 5,000 light-years into space.

The new images come from the first black hole ever photographed, which sits at the center of Messier 87, a giant elliptical galaxy 55 million light-years away. In 2017, an international collaboration of more than 300 researchers coordinated 11 radio telescopes around the globe to observe the center of M87. The resulting joint telescope was dubbed the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). The result, released in 2019, was an image of a black hole surrounded by a doughnut of glowing matter.

Now, a new analysis of the data reveals that the light in that glowing doughnut is partially polarized, meaning the light waves vibrate in a single plane. This is a signature of light that has passed through hot, magnetized space, and its presence means researchers can begin to map out the magnetic field at the edge of the black hole.

In two new papers published today (March 24) in The Astrophysical Journal, the scientists find that the magnetic field may be strong enough to push out matter that would otherwise fall irretrievably past the black hole's event horizon. The result: A stream of matter and energy that jets out of the black hole and its surrounding galaxy like a spotlight.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/black-hole-magnetic-field.html

[brush]

1. Boy, if you get sucked into that, you can forget it.

Wonder where it leads to? Maybe to other dimensions and a "multi-verse", that term we're hearing now.

[c-rational]

2. +1

[Loki Liesmith]

3. Probably doesn't lead anywhere

Once you’ve crossed the event horizon your future is the singularity. That won’t go well for you.

[HuskyOffset]

4. Radiation cooks you long before you encounter the event horizon (NT)

[Loki Liesmith]

7. A small black hole yes. A gigantic one?

Energy density and pair creation at EH is pretty low I think.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

6. To the "inner horizon" of a spinning black hole, anyway.

That's where the flow of space slows down to the speed of light again, and there's even a repulsion away from the center as you're inside that region.

https://jila.colorado.edu/~ajsh/insidebh/rn.html

We'd all be long dead before experiencing it, of course.

[Dan]

5. This thing hurts my eyes...

It is just me....

[Firestorm49]

8. Thanks, JL.

[Judi Lynn]

9. Thank you, Firestorm49. ⭐️