In 2019, an image of a black hole was presented for the first time. It is located in the center of the distant galaxy M87 and a whole world was fascinated by the image of one of the most strange phenomena in the entire universe.
Coming from the black hole
Now another image of the black hole in M87 is presented in the journal Nature. The image was produced with the help of synchronized observations by radio telescopes spread all over the world, including the Onsala space observatory in Halland, where radio astronomer John Conway works.
– What is new is that for the first time we can see both the black hole and the jet in the same image and see how they are connected to each other, he says.
Escape from the carousel of hell
The observations show that the jet is in contact with the region closest to the outside of the black hole, where gas and dust accumulate and spin into the hole with enormous force. But instead of being swallowed by the darkness, charged particles, such as electrons and positrons, escape at close to the speed of light straight out into space. The jet in M87 is about 10,000 light-years long.
– This is an important discovery. We have long wondered how these jets are formed and now we are looking straight into the area from which they are ejected.
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