Astronomers have made an exciting discovery using the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). They’ve traced a massive 3,000 light-year-long cosmic jet back to its source, the supermassive black hole known as M87*. This black hole is famous for being the first one ever captured in an image, released to the public in April 2019. M87* is located about 55 million light-years from Earth and has a mass 6.5 billion times that of our sun.
While M87* is more massive than the black hole at the center of our own Milky Way galaxy, known as Sagittarius A* (which is about 4 million solar masses), it’s also highly active. This means it’s constantly consuming gas and dust while launching powerful jets from its poles. However, scientists still aren’t sure exactly how these jets are formed or what drives them.
To gain a better understanding of M87*’s jets, researchers analyzed observations made in 2021 using a technique called Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI). This technique allows them to spot tiny structures around supermassive black holes. They connected the glowing ring of hot material surrounding M87*—the black hole’s “shadow”—to the start of the jets, offering insights into where and how these jets emerge.
Saurabh, the team leader from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, stated, “This study represents an early step toward connecting theoretical ideas about jet launching with direct observations.” Identifying where these jets originate is crucial for understanding how the black hole works.
Interestingly, researchers have found that some radio emissions observed in 2021 were not present in earlier EHT observations. These emissions likely come from a compact area just under a tenth of a light-year from M87*. This area is closely linked to the base of the jet, adding more evidence to their findings.
Hendrik Müller, a team member from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, highlighted the progress made in observing M87*. He noted, “It is amazing to see that we are gradually moving towards combining these breakthrough observations across multiple frequencies.” This collaboration is key to piecing together the whole picture of how jets are produced.
As they move forward, the team plans to conduct more observations of M87* to explore the jet’s details further and understand how supermassive black holes influence their surroundings. According to recent studies, nearly every large galaxy, including our Milky Way, hosts a supermassive black hole at its center, indicating their fundamental role in the universe’s structure and evolution.
The work of this team reminds us that our understanding of the cosmos is still evolving. Each new piece of information brings us closer to unraveling the mysteries of black holes and their powerful jets.
For the latest in astronomical research, check out the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
