Image of new black hole shows off vortex of magnetic chaos

Black Hole – Magnetic Vortex

A recent, high-resolution image of a black hole shows spiralling lines of enigmatic magnetic powers, providing astronomers with a new perspective on how these celestial monsters behave. It’s a close-up of the black hole at the heart of the massive M87 galaxy, which is 55 million light-years away from Earth.

Black Hole – Never Ending Findings

While black holes can be found in almost every galaxy in the universe, their activity remains one of astronomy’s greatest mysteries. The illustration depicts how matter is violently swallowed by the black hole, which then shoots powerful jets out of its core. Such jets have the ability to travel thousands of lightyears into space.

The photo taken today was taken by the same international team of radio astronomers who took the first ever photo of a black hole in 2019. In the two years since then, more than 300 scientists have scrutinised data from that image as part of The Event Horizon Telescope, a global project.

Scientists Made Progress

They discovered that a significant portion of the dark-orange light surrounding the mouth of the black hole is filtered into a soup of magnetic energy that can be mapped and measured in unparalleled detail.

As a result, astronomers sharpened their attention on the cosmic body by donning the radio-astronomy equivalent of polarised sunglasses, revealing distinct lines of magnetic energy flowing inward.

According to Iván Mart-Vidal, coordinator of the Event Horizon Telescope’s Polarimetry Working Group, the result is a “big milestone.” According to him, the new image aids astronomers in better understanding the physics behind the first image. Today’s picture hints at the importance of magnetic turbulence in a black hole’s ability to consume interstellar matter and eject it into space. Astronomers are also trying to figure out what is behind this mayhem.