A team of scientists has made a groundbreaking discovery about the famous black hole M87, which is spinning at an astonishing 80% of the cosmic speed limit. The research, conducted using the Event Horizon Telescope, provides new insights into how supermassive black holes work and challenges previous estimates.
The supermassive black hole at the center of galaxy M87 weighs in at 6.5 billion times the mass of our Sun and is one of the largest in our vicinity. It was initially observed with the Event Horizon Telescope, which revealed an asymmetric glow caused by relativistic Doppler beaming. This phenomenon allows scientists to measure the rotation speed of the black hole.
The team’s analysis showed that matter is falling into the black hole at a rate of 70 million meters per second, approximately 23% the speed of light. This discovery provides valuable information about the feeding process of M87’s black hole and its impact on the surrounding galaxy.
Furthermore, the study found that the energy from in-falling material matches the power output of M87’s famous jet, a spectacular beam of particles shooting out at near light-speed. This supports the idea that these powerful jets are indeed powered by the black hole’s feeding process.
The results not only challenge previous estimates but also represent a major step forward in understanding how supermassive black holes work. As scientists continue to refine their techniques and gather more data, M87’s black hole will likely remain a cosmic laboratory for testing our understanding of gravity, spacetime, and the most extreme physics in the universe.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/space/black-holes/monster-black-hole-m87-is-spinning-at-80-percent-of-the-cosmic-speed-limit-and-pulling-in-matter-even-faster