For the first time, the black hole, designated 4U 1630-47, was talked about in 2013, when highly ionized nuclei of two heavy elements, iron and nickel, were noticed in its jets. Then, in 2016, 4U 1630-47 observed the first Indian astronomical satellite AstroSat, which captures visible, ultraviolet and X-ray radiation. The exact distance to the black hole has not yet been determined, but, according to astronomers, it is either 15 thousand light years, or 37.5 thousand light years. The mass of the object is also not known and is approximately estimated at 10 times the mass of the Sun. The black hole in the Milky Way causes the surrounding dust and gas to rotate at near light speed, drawing space itself into this circulation.

The measured rotational speed of this exotic black hole is very close to the maximum possible described by the General Theory of Relativity of Albert Einstein. The discovery of such objects is very important because they allow us to study the most extreme aspects of the Universe and the fundamental physics associated with them.

-Sudip Bhattacharya, co-author of the work from the Tata Institute for Basic Research (India)

 

However, scientists have attracted very different properties 4U 1630-47. It stands out for its unusual X-rays emitted by gas and dust heated to enormous temperatures, torn from the companion star by the most powerful gravity.

At present, there are only two parameters by which black holes are described: mass and rotational speed. They are evaluated by their interaction with the surrounding substance, and an analysis of AstroSat observations, confirmed by NASA’s X-ray Observatory X-ray Observatory, showed that the rotation speed of 4U 1630-47 does not fall below 10 percent to the maximum possible (according to General Relativity).

Measurements of the parameters of a black hole, especially rotational speeds, are very complex and can only be performed with high-precision X-ray telescopes, and only if it absorbs matter from its companion star.

-Sudip Bhattacharya

The rotational speeds of black holes are estimated on a conventional scale from 0 to 1. So, 4U 1630-47 rotates at a speed of more than 0.9. According to the predictions of Albert Einstein, such an exotic object is able to make the surrounding space rotate.

The study of such objects is important in understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies. Similar to this, but supermassive black holes, can throw a huge amount of energy into their environment. This process impedes the cooling of gas in galaxies and, therefore, reduces the rate of star formation. Understanding the details of this fundamental feedback between supermassive black holes and the formation of the most massive galaxies remains an important goal in astrophysics.

A black hole has been discovered in the Milky Way that can rotate space itself
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