For the first time, astronomers have observed a supermassive black hole unleashing an ultrafast outflow—nicknamed UFO—at incredible speeds. This outflow was recorded moving at 19% of the speed of light, which is around 57,000 kilometers (35,400 miles) per second. While it’s not the fastest ever measured, it’s significant because it captures the initial flare and the subsequent winds it creates.
According to astronomer Liyi Gu from the Space Research Organisation Netherlands, this is groundbreaking. “We’ve seen how a rapid burst of X-ray light from a black hole quickly triggers ultra-fast winds, forming in just a single day,” she explained.
The galaxy known as NGC 3783, located about 130 million light-years away, offers a stunning view of this active black hole. It’s not among the largest, weighing in at 28 million times the mass of our Sun, but it’s consuming material at an astounding rate. This process creates a spectacular display of light and energy as gas and dust swirl around it.
This particular X-ray flare was detected using the ESA’s XMM-Newton and JAXA’s XRISM telescopes. Scientists believe the flare was triggered by a magnetic field outside the black hole snapping and reconnecting, similar to what happens with solar flares, but on a cosmic scale.
Detected in July 2024, this event resembles a solar coronal mass ejection, where huge amounts of material and magnetic fields are expelled from the Sun. Remarkably, within 12 hours of the initial flare, signals of the ultrafast outflow emerged, revealing parallels between these cosmic phenomena and processes occurring in our solar system.
ESA astronomer Erik Kuulkers noted, “This study shows that solar and high-energy physics may have similar patterns across the Universe.” By focusing on an active supermassive black hole, researchers gained insights that deepen our understanding of how different scales of the Universe behave, linking events that feel galaxies apart.
This research builds on a long history of astrophysical studies, comparing these recent findings to earlier observations of solar flares and other cosmic events. It suggests that, despite the vast distances, the laws of physics can produce strikingly similar effects throughout the Universe.
The findings have been detailed in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, highlighting how tethered forces across the cosmos can mirror one another. As we continue to explore these celestial mysteries, each discovery opens up new possibilities for understanding the universe we inhabit.
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