Supermassive black hole captured in an unexpected spin shift

M87* is the first black hole ever photographed. It sits in the center of the massive galaxy Messier 87, which is located about 340 quintillion miles from Earth.

This cosmic giant, which holds roughly 6.5 billion times the mass of our Sun, grabbed global attention when scientists shared its portrait in 2019.

Researchers have now revisited their data to explore its swirling environment and discover fresh details about the hectic world near its event horizon.

New details about black hole M87*

“By observing the evolving black hole and comparing it with progressive observations, we have made an important step forward in understanding the complex dynamics that govern it,” said research coordinator Hung-Yi Pu of National Taiwan Normal University, at the end of the team’s 2018 follow-up analyses.

Scientists saw that the black hole’s spin axis appears to point away from Earth. They also found that the disk of hot gas orbiting M87* may move in a direction opposite to the black hole’s own rotation.

This retrograde movement seems to lead to more intense shaking of energetic particles, which stirs up a volatile zone where light flickers more dramatically.

The center of brightness in the ring has also shifted by around 30 degrees since the 2017 snapshot. This was the first time researchers confirmed such a major movement, suggesting that local turbulence is common in these extreme environments.

Turbulent plasma

Black holes pull in hot plasma, which includes charged particles that generate radio waves scientists can detect.

To capture this signal, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) uses a worldwide network of antennas that creates a planet-sized radio dish. 

This approach revealed subtle changes in brightness patterns surrounding the black hole. The updated analysis offers a closer look at how energetic matter funnels around M87*, showing that friction and magnetic fields may twist the motion of gas at close range.

Spiraling chaos

“Our analyses suggest that this latter scenario, in which the gas rotates against the rotation of the black hole, is the one that best explains the variations observed over the years,” explained researcher Mariafelicia De Laurentis of the University of Naples Federico II.

“This is because the retrograde motion generates a more turbulent and unstable environment, favoring more marked fluctuations in the light emission of the ring surrounding the black hole.”

These observations help reveal how space-time warps at short distances from the black hole. Astronomers suspect that this turbulent swirl might be a common feature around many supermassive black holes.

Why does black hole M87* matter?

The EHT team is now reviewing data collected in 2021 and 2022. The hope is that more frequent snapshots will highlight how the plasma ring evolves under ever-changing conditions near the edge of the event horizon.

Their goal is to refine tests of Einstein’s theory of general relativity, which has held up against many past challenges.

Scientists anticipate that additional observations will further check this theory in settings where gravity crushes matter with unimaginable force.

M87* remains an ideal example of what happens when gravity rules over massive amounts of gas in a compact volume of space.

Understanding how material dances around it could help clarify how galaxies grow and shape their surroundings.

This wild zone also shows how black holes launch energetic jets that extend far into intergalactic space.

The orientation of M87*’s axis, combined with data on the swirling ring, might explain the source of jets often seen in radio images of the Messier 87 galaxy.

Watching the future

As technology improves, astronomers can make sharper, more consistent observations. Teams around the world are adding new sites to the EHT array, hoping to sharpen images of M87* and other cosmic heavyweights.

Experts see these ongoing projects as a chance to expand models of how black holes behave. A better understanding might reveal patterns that appear not only in M87* but in other supermassive objects at the centers of galaxies.

The study is published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

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