Astronomers are struggling to understand a rare and intense cosmic phenomenon occurring at the center of a distant galaxy. The 1ES 1927+654 black hole, located 270 million light-years from Earth, is emitting unprecedented radiation patterns that defy explanation. Initially detected as a faint radio signal in 2018, it has since revealed itself with dramatic flares and rapid pulses of x-rays.
The unusual behavior has sparked widespread interest among researchers, who attribute the outbursts to tidal disruption events where a star is torn apart by the black hole’s gravity. However, further observations have revealed that the activity cannot be explained by typical tidal disruption events alone.
Dr. Eileen Meyer, lead author on the study published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, described her initial impression of the black hole as “boring” but quickly became intrigued by its increasingly bizarre behavior. Her team’s analysis reveals that shortly after a massive radio wave flare-up, the black hole emitted two giant plasma jets traveling at one-third the speed of light.
This discovery has provided unprecedented insight into extreme activity closer to the black hole and presents a clear indication of the black hole’s unexplained behavior. The research team presented their findings last week at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Maryland, shedding new light on this enigmatic cosmic phenomenon.
Source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/this-supermassive-black-hole-may-harbor-a-bizarre-undead-star