The scientific collaboration of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) has achieved the first image in polarized light of the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*). This new image has unveiled the presence of strong and organized magnetic fields spiraling from the edge of the black hole to the heart of the Milky Way. Furthermore, it has revealed that their structure is surprisingly similar to that of the magnetic fields of the black hole at the center of the M87 galaxy, suggesting that these strong magnetic fields may be common to black holes.
Maybe you’ve seen our latest post inside our Instagram or Threads account, with this article we’ll try to spread some more light on this fascinating phenomena…
But, what is Sagittarius A*?
Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) is a supermassive black hole located at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. It is one of the closest known supermassive black holes to Earth, lying approximately 26,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius. Sgr A* is believed to have a mass equivalent to about 4.1 million times that of the Sun, packed into a region of space less than 20 million kilometers across.
Despite its massive size, Sgr A* is not directly visible to telescopes in visible light because it is shrouded by dense clouds of gas and dust in the galactic center. However, it emits strong radio waves, X-rays, and other forms of electromagnetic radiation, which allow astronomers to study its properties indirectly.
Observations of stars orbiting around Sgr A* have provided strong evidence for its existence. These stars move at incredibly high speeds, indicating the presence of a massive object exerting gravitational influence on them. By tracking the orbits of these stars over many years, astronomers have been able to precisely measure the mass and characteristics of Sgr A*.
One of the most fascinating aspects of Sgr A* is its potential to produce powerful outbursts of energy. Although it is relatively quiet compared to some other supermassive black holes, it occasionally exhibits flares and bursts of radiation, likely caused by interactions with nearby material being pulled into its gravitational grasp.
Studying Sgr A* and other supermassive black holes is essential for understanding the role they play in the formation and evolution of galaxies. They are thought to have a profound influence on their surroundings, shaping the distribution of stars and gas and regulating the growth of galaxies over cosmic timescales. Additionally, Sgr A* offers a unique laboratory for testing the laws of physics under extreme conditions, such as those found near the event horizon of a black hole.
Have you noticed similarities with M87*?
The black hole at the center of the galaxy M87, known as M87*, is another remarkable cosmic entity, and it gained particular fame in 2019 due to the first-ever direct image captured of a black hole, courtesy of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration.
M87* is a supermassive black hole located in the center of the giant elliptical galaxy Messier 87 (M87), which lies about 55 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Virgo. This black hole has a mass estimated to be about 6.5 billion times that of the Sun, making it one of the most massive black holes known to science.
The image captured by the EHT in 2019 provided a groundbreaking visual confirmation of the existence of black holes and their associated features, such as the event horizon—the boundary beyond which nothing, not even light, can escape the black hole's gravitational pull. The image showed a bright ring-like structure surrounding a dark central region, which corresponds to the event horizon of the black hole.
In addition to the iconic image, observations of M87* by the EHT have provided valuable insights into the dynamics of black hole accretion disks—the swirling disks of gas and dust that spiral into the black hole—and the powerful jets of energetic particles that are ejected from its vicinity at near-light speeds.
Studying M87* and other supermassive black holes is crucial for understanding the role they play in shaping galaxies and the broader universe. They influence the formation and evolution of galaxies by regulating the growth of stars and the distribution of matter within their host galaxies. Moreover, black holes like M87* serve as natural laboratories for testing the laws of physics under extreme conditions, allowing scientists to probe the fundamental nature of space, time, and gravity.
Conclusion: looking at the next months
While this new amazingly defined and clear image shows incredible similarity with M87*, still a lot is to be comprehended and discovered. In the next months new observations are scheduled for EHT in order to validate similarities among these celestial bodies. Scientists are eager to find out if among black holes of different mass, dimension and environment where the are placed there are further commonalities or differences in order to study their nature. Stay tuned!
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