Black holes and obb are seen blinging from the iconic image


Black Hole M87 *.

Black Hole M87 *.
Image: EHT collaboration

Scientists are learning important new things about black holes for the first time, including behavior consistent with Einstein’s theory, but it is showing An unexpected feature In the form of a very crying ring.

Sounds like before, but finally we took a look back at what was obviously not visible in April 2019, when this Incredible image The first supermassive black hole was introduced. Of course, we can’t really “see” a black hole, because, As any 6-Another year-will happily tell you, black holes have a habit of sucking light. What the picture shows is an asymmetrical ring, known as the shadow of a black hole, the phenomenon of superheat gas revolving around the horizon તે a boundary beyond which light cannot escape.

This particular black hole, with mass 6.5 billion suns, 55 million light-locatedYears away in the Messier 87 galaxy, or M77 for short, a black hole, designated M87 * was imaged by the Event Horizon Telescope. In April 2019, a historic historic scientific achievement. Image provides static view of M87 *, but is new Research Published this week in the Astrophysical Journal shows that it is now possible to study the physical changes taking place in and around this black hole over time.

Animated GIF showing the consistency of the measured ring diameter.
Image: like this. Wilgus and EHT collaboration

Astronomers with the EHT project observed M87 * for oneThe weekend of April 2017, which did not give enough time to track the dynamic aspects of the system, such as changes in its shape. But researchers have done just that, By going and studying the archival EHT data Back in 2009.

“If you want to see black holes evolve in a decade, there’s no substitute for keeping decades of data.” Said Astronomer Mackey Wilgus at the Harvard and Astrophysics Center and A Smithsonian and lead author of the new paper Press announcement.

The EHT is a giant telescope array made up of strategically radio dishes around the world. The system achieved full operational power in 2017, and, With recipes In five different places, it was the result of a kind of “earth-shaped radio dish,” as it were Described In a press release issued by the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy. Importantly, EHT Areno was collecting important astronomical information while building the initial prototype system. Specifically, observations of monster black holes were collected from three locations during 2009 and 2012 and from four locations in 2013.

“Although these observations do not contain enough information to produce images, they are sufficient to limit simple geometric m dolls,” the authors wrote in the new study.

Statistical modeling techniques, in addition to some educated predictions, have allowed researchers to chart changes in the system over time, a process that includes observations collected by EHT until 2019.

According to the models, the overall shape of this thing has been consistent over the last 10 years, good news if you are a fan of Albert Einstein. The fixed diameter of a crescent shadow for a black hole of this size agrees with the prediction drawn from its popular theory of general relativity.

“In this study, we show that normal morphology, or the presence of an asymmetric ring, probably persists over a period of several years,” said MIT scientist and study co-author Kaju Akiyama of Harvard and Smithsonian press release. “This is an important confirmation of theoretical expectations as consistency [of multiple observations] We are more confident than ever about the nature and origin of the shadow of the M87. “

Putting this stability aside, astronomers noticed a major difference, as the asymmetrical ring seemed to rotate. Significant degree. The shape of the ring has not changed in the last decade, but it has changed.

“Really, we see a lot of diversity out there,” Wilges said.

Thomas Krichbum, MPIFRA astronomer and co-author of the study, said that “data analysis suggests that the direction and feature structure of the ring changes over time,” which is important because it provides a “first impression on the dynamic structure.” As he explains, it is the flow of excitement that surrounds the horizon of the event In the Max Planck press release.

Attraction Flow – The rate of material flowing in a black hole for M87 * appears to be variable. According to the authors’ speculation, the glowing gas in the ring is in a very turbulent state, the result of magnetic fields, and this is what causes the migratory appearance of black holes over time. This is very exciting, because “the dynamics of this range will allow us [measure] “Emissions flow,” Anatua said.

With this paper, we have now entered a new era of studying intimate areas around black holes. Astronomers can detect changes in these foreign systems over time, and They will only be able to study the flow of accretion Also related event, such as Relative jet. “The key to understanding the interaction with the surrounding medium in a black hole’s host galaxy – the flow of high-powered particles – the physical characteristics of a relativistic jet” Richard Anantua, Study Co-author in publication. Others will also provide an observation of the attraction flow A way for scientists to test general relativity, a theory that has held up so well so far.

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