Radio telescopes capture best-ever snapshot of black hole jets

Posted On: May 20, 2011 - 8:00pm

An international team, including NASA-funded researchers, using radio telescopes located throughout the Southern Hemisphere has produced the most detailed image of particle jets erupting from a supermassive black hole in a nearby galaxy.

"These jets arise as infalling matter approaches the black hole, but we don't yet know the details of how they form and maintain themselves," said Cornelia Mueller, the study's lead author and a doctoral student at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany.

The new image shows a region less than 4.2 light-years across -- less than the distance between our sun and the nearest star. Radio-emitting features as small as 15 light-days can be seen, making this the highest-resolution view of galactic jets ever made. The study will appear in the June issue of Astronomy and Astrophysics and is available online.

Mueller and her team targeted Centaurus A (Cen A), a nearby galaxy with a supermassive black hole weighing 55 million times the sun's mass. Also known as NGC 5128, Cen A is located about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Centaurus and is one of the first celestial radio sources identified with a galaxy.

Seen in radio waves, Cen A is one of the biggest and brightest objects in the sky, nearly 20 times the apparent size of a full moon. This is because the visible galaxy lies nestled between a pair of giant radio-emitting lobes, each nearly a million light-years long.

These lobes are filled with matter streaming from particle jets near the galaxy's central black hole. Astronomers estimate that matter

Merging X-ray data (blue) from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory with microwave (orange) and visible images reveals the jets and radio-emitting lobes emanating from Centaurus A's central black hole.

(Photo Credit: ESO/WFI (visible); MPIfR/ESO/APEX/A.Weiss et al. (microwave); NASA/CXC/CfA/R.Kraft et al. (X-ray))

near the base of these jets races outward at about one-third the speed of light.

Using an intercontinental array of nine radio telescopes, researchers for the TANAMI (Tracking Active Galactic Nuclei with Austral Milliarcsecond Interferometry) project were able to effectively zoom into the galaxy's innermost realm.

"Advanced computer techniques allow us to combine data from the individual telescopes to yield images with the sharpness of a single giant telescope, one nearly as large as Earth itself," said Roopesh Ojha at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

The enormous energy output of galaxies like Cen A comes from gas falling toward a black hole weighing millions of times the sun's mass. Through processes not fully understood, some of this infalling matter is ejected in opposing jets at a substantial fraction of the speed of light. Detailed views of the jet's structure will help astronomers determine how they form.

The jets strongly interact with surrounding gas, at times possibly changing a galaxy's rate of star formation. Jets play an important but poorly understood role in the formation and evolution of galaxies. NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has detected much higher-energy radiation from Cen A's central region.

"This radiation is billions of times more energetic than the radio waves we detect, and exactly where it originates remains a mystery," said Matthias Kadler at the University of Wuerzburg in Germany and a collaborator of Ojha. "With TANAMI, we hope to probe the galaxy's innermost depths to find out."

Left: The giant elliptical galaxy NGC 5128 is the radio source known as Centaurus A. Vast radio-emitting lobes (shown as orange in this optical/radio composite) extend nearly a million light-years from the galaxy. Credit: Capella Observatory (optical), with radio data from Ilana Feain, Tim Cornwell, and Ron Ekers (CSIRO/ATNF), R. Morganti (ASTRON), and N. Junkes (MPIfR). Right: The radio image from the TANAMI project provides the sharpest-ever view of a supermassive black hole's jets. This view reveals the inner 4.16 light-years of the jet and counterjet, a span less than the distance between our sun and the nearest star. The image resolves details as small as 15 light-days across. Undetected between the jets is the galaxy's 55-million-solar-mass black hole.

(Photo Credit: : NASA/TANAMI/Müller et al.)

Source: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

what if the jets are a result of radiation or leak from a other dimension, like a ball of "radiation" who is grinding friktion whit a other ball from a other dimension who leaks energy, and the black hole in the senter is the meeting point, and the galaxy is a result of the "friktion", and the jet is a result of energy from the other dimension who is resonating with this dimension???????

just shooting in the dark here....

You're retarded.

Agreed. He is definitely retarded.

Or a string 'theory' person.

lol - well said!

What that European ass said has little to nothing to do with string theory.

A retarded 'string theory' person.

Please don't feed the trolls.

Seriously...I guarantee there is no one in the world that doesn't know how to spell "center" correctly, yet understands any of what he said or knows the word resonate. If you're going to even try to troll, be smarter?

Ever think that he may not be a native english speaker? I agree his hypothesis is a ludicrous one at best, but I will be willing to bet that there are at least some people in the world that don't speak english as a first language and can't quite grasp the intricacies of this ridiculous language.

all of you guys who are criticizing are the retarded ones! remember when we thought the earth was flat? how retarded were the ones who denied it ??? you guys don't learn...not even with history! you are close-minded pricks who like to feel superior to others! just shut it and think about your idiotic state of mind.

niggas still getting trolled

Please explain this " niggas " reference , what is this about ?

No need for an argument here. We already have children in congress doing exactly that. The real retard? Our beloved president whom bought out all of the debt from all the banks and laid it to rest upon our government. This beautiful jetting particles of light should be looked upon in awe not one of us can create that so for the love of whatever you believe in let bygones be bygones let people with off the wall ideas whom can't spell be themselves it doesn't affect your health, your sex life how many miles you get to the gallon in your vehicle so just let it go!

the whole flat thing is just an urban myth the general consensus even in way back when was that the earth was round. saw it on QI

center*
senter lol

and "friktion." Want to join the grammar/spelling police with me?

In most of the Scandinavian languages, "center" is spelled "senter" and "friction" is spelled "friksjon". Probably just a drunk swede or something.

the fuck it isnt

Learn to spell.

EAT IIIITTTTTT!!!!

Somebody's on crack!

a other? a ball who is...?? "radiation" ??
whit? friktion?? senter??? Are you serious?

Obviously a very un-educated guess based on your extremely poor grasp of correct grammar and spelling.

I hope you don't expect anyone to actually take you seriously?

a other > try "another"
a ball who is > try "that is".
"radiation" & "friktion" > don't need to be enclosed in inverted commas.
whit > try "with"
friktion > try "friction"
senter > try "center" (US) or "centre" (correct spelling).

Use a capital letter (the BIG ones)at the start of a sentence. Try breaking your statement down into smaller sentences by using full stops instead of "and".
All that is one sentence? Try saying it out loud with one breath then?

Next time don't be so lazy and put the effort into your post. You might actually then get a direct response to the question asked, instead of getting flamed for writing like an absolute moron.

Yes, just like Trolls, Grammar Nazis are everywhere :)

the dude could be german. don't they spell all their hard c or k sounds with a k. either way i'm sure everyone posting on this response column is wrong about what ever this is or just has no idea what this article is talking about. this includes me. CREATIONISM WAS RIGHT JESUS WILL RISE AGAIN AND JUDGE THE NON-BELIEVERS!!

I hope you kill yourself.

They have spell check in Germany, I believe.

awwwwww do you feel better now? do you need a hug?

How can any of these guys on here talk shit bout something no one knows about, I like your ideas they are something to ponder about, heck even Stephen Hawking has theory's about other dimensions. I thing they should think before they talk there shit that some of the greatist minds ever to walk earth where considered retarded, Einstien anyone.

no guys, fellas, he has an point... imagine for yourself the "infant" power of the black hole? enormuos. one alone can annilate EArth! The Energy Is Probably Enugh For An Rip In The Time-Space Continuum. its why the unverse expants! IT"S SOO SIMPLE GUYS

More like "typing in the dark here."

Don't worry buddy, I got you covered. In act of good faith I present to you this website! http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/index2.htm
It shall help you learn what you clearly missed in all your school years.

It could be that he didn't miss it in school. He just never had it. This is the internet. Just because he is typing in English doesn't mean it's his first language, or even if it is his first, could be not his best language. It's my first, and I still think its evil.

I <3 U

Nice i can dig-it; multi-verse; parralel makes sense 2me especially considering all contemporary facts proven to be opinions of the time improves with more membranes then fabrics itself with simple brilliance.p:s sometimes we are teapots sometimes we are cups thanks for the pour.

Amazing data integration. Imagine.... one Earth diameter telescope!
Wait for the upgrade when a Moon Base is added in a few years.

All we can see is atoms being stretched from afar. The atomic particles move so fast that they go through the hole, overshoot the hole, then get drawn back into the hole. This theory not only reveals a blackholes composition; it is the basis of all universes. Imagine a meteor of epic proportions somewhat like Pangea was. Now picture that being squeezed into a tiny hole like a pressure washer to the point where it travels so far that it can't come back. Boom.

How about opening a grammar book, and learning how to use punctuation marks? Because to be honest, you sound like the asshole, not the other way around. Also, don't be so brainwashed into thinking you have the most open mind on this planet, because you're clearly being just as closed minded and cynical as they are. If you want people to actually listen and understand a position or idea, they need to be educated not ridiculed by some guy on the internet. Otherwise they'll never learn and forever remain bitter to people such as you, who claim to "know it all".

That is all, thanks for reading this and have a nice day! (OPEN YOUR HEART BUDDY)

Please, go back to school and let the Grown-ups talk in peace.

Your sentence is so pathetically written that nobody would take it seriously anyway. Even if one overlooks the gaping holes in your grammatical skills, or lack there-of.

Intelligent viewpoint = FAIL
Serious opinion = FAIL
Credibility = FAIL

Strike three kiddo, hit the showers junior.

Boy, aren't you all high and mighty...get over yourself! You ever here the saying "Pride comes before a fall?"

thank you!!!

Your all just close minded government thinking trash well it's good that there thinking outside the box instead of u assholes who only see one way government thinkers you guys are the stupid ones so keep thinking out of the box and not how the government brainwashed you weak minded people thanks for reading this and have a nice day( OPEN YOUR MIND PEOPLE) and the ignorant one's open a beer smoke a blunt stay simple minded and keep fucking up the world do what u do best make money and destroy the planet the human race is only good at one thing DESTRUCTION wake up people think for yourself for once and use your mind thank u( can't wait to hear all the ignorance on this :))

"you're all close minded"
You to are close minded, find a real teacher.
At least you're searching....Or do you know all?lol
One day...

Well since the real stupid people are the assholes who are more focused on proper punctuation instead of what the person is actually trying to say. Sorry there not perfect like you, like he said open your mind. Think past the common stupidity any theory in this world is just an educated guess but it's worth a shot.

dude.....it's "TOO" so don't go throwing rocks in glass houses you moron.

Actually, you needed to insert a comma in your sentence to separate the clauses.

"...in glass houses, you moron."

Try starting your sentence with a capital letter too e.g. Dude, (comma also required, not leaders). Furthermore, the proper correction would have been "too", not in capitals, followed by a comma. You also missed the opportunity to correct the writer's misuse of "there" where they should have used "they're".

The single most important factor of being a Grammar Nazi is making sure you don't make any grammatical errors while you're preaching.

If ignorance is bliss, you must be a very happy person indeed.

"You too(to) are of closed mind, find a real...."

Don't knock the non-speller, clearly they are foreign. English is the hardest language to learn. Don't be salty because someone out there has a theory of their own. We could all sit here and debate all day along about the "what-if" causes and effects of something like this. Who's to say that it isn't a by-product of other-dimensional waste? Or even inter-dimensional? No one knows for sure the exact nature of black holes, which makes them so enticing and mysterious. It's easy to imagine what they could be, but harder to understand their truer nature. And until there is more solid research done on them no one here can say that it IS or is NOT anything. Id personally like to imagine that black holes are indeed wormholes of some sort but until we can send something in and pull it back out we'll never know. Our entire knowledge of our universe and the entities residing in it is yet still so primitive, we have a long way to go yet before we even come close to understanding the full potential of our universe. Just sayin'.

Black holes are obviously non existent... You cant see anything in the photo... and that is what SCIENCE calls a black hole... its invisible... you cant see it but supposedly you can see the affects.. how can you even begin to take notice in such a job where you cant even count all the stars? I personally thing its all over-rated.
If you want the TRUTH, not THEORY... pick up the bible and read!

Science is something that can be tested, has variables and can be re-created....

Good Luck finding your answers.. Do some soul searching... Start with the good book.

I've read better.
Also, God is just as visible and tangible as the black holes.

I'm sorry if some don't want to base all of their knowledge on the work of hundreds of uneducated, superstitious old men. It's bad enough that religion was invented just because we didn't understand how the universe works, but at least that makes some sort of sense. It's childish, of course, and can be compared to toddlers' thoughts of monsters when they hear a "bump" in the dark that they can't otherwise explain.

What's nonsensical is those who, when given an explanation with any sort of validity, adamantly substitute for it the ignorant non-explanation given to them by the bible. A THEORY, I would think, is much better than simply saying "It's above our understanding," which is, in effect, a glorified "I don't know." Religion is nothing but the acceptance of ignorance.