Using an array of ALMA radio telescopes, astronomers tracked the movement of matter in a thick ring-shaped cloud of gas and dust enveloping a supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy NGC 1068. As a result, they made an unexpected discovery that could finally explain the rapid growth of these gravitational monsters in early universe.
“Thanks to the impressive resolution of ALMA, we were able to evaluate the movement of gas near a black hole. Surprisingly, we found two disks rotating in opposite directions, ”says Violetta Impellizer, the lead author of the study at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (USA).
Observations show that just a billion years after the Big Bang, supermassive black holes already existed in the universe. But how these extreme objects, whose mass is billions of times greater than the solar mass, managed to grow in such a relatively short period of time, remains a mystery, however, the data obtained on ALMA bring astronomers closer to its solution.
“Counter-rotating gas flows are unstable, and the substance from them falls into a black hole faster than if it were in the same disk,” explained Violetta Impellizer.
The spiral galaxy NGC 1068 is located approximately 47 million light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Keith. At its center is a supermassive black hole, previous observations of which have shown that it not only absorbs material, but also ejects it at an incredibly high speed reaching 500 kilometers per second. This process complicates the study of its surroundings using optical telescopes, but does not interfere with ALMA.
“We saw the inner disk at a distance of 2 to 4 light years from the black hole, the substance in which moves in the same direction as the galaxy rotates, and the outer ring, extending from 4 to 22 light years and rotating in the opposite direction. It’s strange and something must have broken this flow, because part of the disk cannot start to rotate in the other direction by itself, ”added Violeta Impellizer.
Counter rotation is not unusual in space, but previously it was only observed thousands of light years from central black holes and was always the result of a collision or interaction between galaxies.
At the moment, the external disk is apparently in a stable orbit, but this will change when it begins to fall into a black hole, which can happen in several hundred thousand years. Rotating flows of gas will collide, become unstable, and will probably decay, producing a bright flash at the moment of absorption by a black hole. Unfortunately, this will not be soon, and we are not destined to become witnesses of this magnificent cosmic firework.
Amazing discovery near a black hole – two disks rotating in opposite directions
Click To Tweet
The post Amazing discovery near a black hole – two disks rotating in opposite directions appeared first on Upcosmos.com.