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NRAO / AUI / NSF / Gemini / AURA
A radio image from the High Sensitivity Array shows bright "hot spots" in the galaxy NGC 660. The HSA image, shown in the inset, represents less than a pixel's worth of the larger optical image.
LONG BEACH, Calif. — Astronomers have discovered what appears to be colossal belch from a massive black hole at the heart of a distant galaxy. The outburst was 10 times as bright as the biggest star explosion, scientists say.
The potential super-sized black hole burp find came as astronomers studied the galaxy NGC 660, which is located 44 million light-years away in the constellation Pisces.
"The discovery was entirely serendipitous. Our observations were spread over a few years, and when we looked at them, we found that one galaxy had changed over that time from being placid and quiescent to undergoing a hugely energetic outburst at the end," study researcher Robert Minchin of Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico said in a statement.
Minchin presented the research Monday at the American Astronomical Society's winter meeting in Long Beach.
To determine whether the outburst was from a supernova — the explosive end of a star — or the galaxy's core, the researchers used the High Sensitivity Array, a global network of telescopes that includes the Very Long Baseline Array, the Arecibo Telescope, the National Science Foundation's 100-meter Green Bank Telescope and the 100-meter Effelsberg Radio Telescope in Germany.
Instead of an expanding ring of material suggesting a supernova event, the researchers found five locations with bright radio emissions clustered around the galaxy's core.
"The most likely explanation is that there are jets coming from the core, but they are precessing, or wobbling, and the hot spots we see are where the jets slammed into the material near the galaxy's nucleus," said Chris Salter, also of the Arecibo Observatory.
Those jets, the researchers said, would mean the outburst likely came from a supermassive black hole at the heart of galaxy NGC 660. As the black hole devours dust and mass, it pulls a whirling disk of matter into its heart that spews jets of particles as it is consumed.
Supermassive black holes are colossal structures at the cores of galaxies that are between millions and billions of times as massive as the sun. They are much larger than stellar-mass black holes, which are created from the deaths of giant stars and can contain the mass of about 10 suns.
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Ehhh....
That's a big conclusion to make from this limited data set. What about something that's more pragmatic, like the jets are the result of a pulsar on the event horizon just before it is pulled into the black hole. Or some unknown reaction triggered as a star/massive gas formation is pulled/compressed within the edge of the black holes influence?
That's the whole point of publishing a scientific finding like this. Peer's in the field may look at the data differently and suggest areas of further study. And as study of the data advances and more data is collected the theory can be fine tuned and go from something fuzzy to a sharpened point.
And with the very little I think I understand about black holses I am not sure how one would "burp" I always thought once caught by a black hole energy and matter wont escape - but as I said I dont know enough about the darn things. But they sure are interesting.
Damn - correct me if I'm wrong since I know nothing much about this stuff... but if it was a pulsar, even as it was being pulled into the black hole it would still have had some measurable repetition to its outbursts even though they would be being skewed more and more. Although, as Hollykb says, this is why we have peer reviewed journal releases.
I think that they are assuming way too much. A "burp" would suggest that they know that the outburst was a reaction that happened while the black hole was initially digesting something. It could have just as well have been a "fart" too. I doubt scientists know enough about a black hole, which can't be seen, to be able to tell which end is which, and at what point in the digestive process that an outburst happens.
Seems like it could just as well be a cluster of stars being ripped apart by the black hole's gravity well, causing a chain reaction of explosions.
@ St Miller,
Good point, maybe the "jets" are being compressed, speed up, distorted in certain directions as the object is sucked into the outer reaches of the hole. Or the forces are so great on the object that it is amplifying them.
Regardless, I certainly think this is a result of the object approaching the black hole, rather than it "burping" from the center. Light cannot escape black holes, but a puff of gas can? Unless.....unless, certain objects momentarily can distort/freeze the power of a black hole as they cross the event horizon....hmmm.
We need Alan Boyle in here.
D.Man...just noticed that I put Damn instead of D.Man. Sorry!
We do need Alan.
From my research and studies, here is my take, but don't quote me. I don't don't have a PhD. I believe what these scientists are trying to say, is that material, being draw into a Supermassive black hole, or singularity, found in the center of galaxies, is forming a disc of matter around it, spinning rapidly as it is drawn inwards and devoured.
In the process of being pulled inwards,that matter is bumping up against other matter closer to the nucleus of the galaxy,even as gravity pulls it in. Causing jets of gas to be released, moving at near the speed of light, which is the five hot spots being observed, from close to the center and two on each side. Their directions appearing different due to possibly the Ergosphere effect, just outside of the Event Horizon. which changes how we observe what is seen.Black holes are known to do this sort of thing.
A supernova would have a completely different image as well. with the outer layer of the star being shed and evidence of its tremendous power leaving some trace. Some of that would be thrown out far enough to escape the immediate effects of the singularity.Even if only part of its field is visible behind it. What is left after such an event should still be picked up, if it existed.
As it is noted in the article, more observations will need to be done in over the next few years to verify this idea. With researchers using the High Sensitivity Array, the global network of telescopes to get a more refined image, it will help pin down more clearly what is happening. But currently, this appears to be the best guess.
As far as other stars being the cause of these types of effects of supermassive black holes, it is unlikely. Given that the pattern appears to be something that would come from an object outside of the Outer Event Horizon. That point at which matter,including light could not be possible to be observed, once crossed.
Though light does bend around a black hole from other objects behind it. Even creating strange images, including circles if one were to actually travel at the speed of light towards it, it would not explain double objects, opposite sides, that would fit such a unequal pattern, with a center one. Nor would a pulsar being consumed, which would give off a regular repeating radio pattern which would easily be picked up. After all, it only took half a day to get this clearer image, after this abnormality was discovered. And radio telescopes were being used, so it would have picked up any such patterns right away, because such stars spin very rapidly.
The possibility a source of matter is causing collisions the closer to this galaxy's nucleus and black hole it gets, therefore appears the most likely candidate. With we be fortunate enough to witness such an event, if this is the case. Without knowing the speed the disc is spinning in the photon sphere, one can only imagine the forces involved.
What the black hole said after burping....
Well excuuuuuuuuuse meeee!! (Steve Martin)
I haven't read the original report but I would guess the only use of the word "burp" is by the headline writer.
Windancersong, a very interesting comment. I had not read about this process, the Penrose Process, before. Astrophysics is a very interesting field with much new knowledge being discovered.
A burp? I think NOT. More like squeezing a zit. The black hole is like the pores on our face always sucking air until one gets stopped up then grows into a super-massive black hole and eventually it spews zit matter all over the Galaxy.
Thanks so much for being open minded about these sort of things. We know so little about black holes and such that throwing out an idea for the whole world to read, study and discuss is refreshing beyond the subject itself! Thanks
Sure sounds to me like the definition of a quasar. It isn't coming out of the black hole, it is basically on its way in. As the accretion disc draws in matter, that matter can collide while in the "whirlpool". When you think about how enormous these things are it is entirely possible that multiple stars are getting sucked in together. Seems to me that the gravitation force being applied could very well compress these even more taking them to supernova. When you consider all the enormous amount of matter being focused and drawn in together, I see no reason why this combined mass couldn't far exceed the most massive stars.
I think we are completely sure that nothing ever emerges from a black hole. but if all this mass starts combining outside the event horizon and creates this energetic explosive release, material and light on the "back side" away from the black hole, could escape and be viewed.
If you can agree that no mass can be entering the black hole faster than the speed of light, then an event outside the event horizon, such as a supernova, or some new, yet to be described phenomena involving far more matter than the largest stars, will emit material and light in a 360 degrees spherical pattern. For at least the half facing the black hole, it will go straight in. But for the part facing away from the black hole, it will be emitting matter and light, at the speed of light or very near, in the opposite direction. In order for that to be sucked in and the light to be invisible, the resulting net speed going into the black hole would have to exceed the speed of light. But that can't happen.
As I understand it, this is what we see as a quasar. We know that quasars can be extremely bright but we also know the brightness varies. So it seems to me that it is really only a matter of how much mass is involved. I see no reason why that total mass can not exceed the most massive stars. Just imagine ten of the most massive stars being involved simultaneously. Or millions of smaller stars. Therefore it seems completely possible for the light emitted to be brighter than the brightest supernovas.
Seems like the only limitation will be the density of all the mass involved that hits this "sweet spot" outside the event horizon. When we view a black hole, we see the accretion disc as basically sitting still, however, in reality, the rotational gravitational speeds are very likely approaching the speed of light. That alone suggests that an enormous amount of matter could be involved. Get enough mass collapsing together under the force of gravity and you'll produce the supernova effect, even though it may not be and individual star like we are accustomed to.
I'm with D.Man....even if I don't understand anything he said. :o)
so let me get this straight - we would have to travel 186,000 miles per second for 44 million years to get to wherever this "burp" was?
Someone please set me straight because that just makes no cottam sense in my book
That's What's Up - Yes. The light from this event left that galaxy 44 million years ago. We're looking at something that happened a log time ago. Almost halfway back in time to when dinosaurs walked the earth.
Long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away...
Maybe it was a deathstar detonating.
I wonder if something HUGE didn't enter the event horizon. What would that look like anyway? If say a quasar met a black hole?
There seem to be two different conclusions put forth in the article, either it was a (never before seen) "belch" from inside a black hole, or the well known jets (emanating from the exterior of, and) associated with many black holes.
Wouldn't a fart be a better analogy than a burp? Just sayin.....
Well, if it were a fart, then we'd have to assume that we know and can see the end of the black hole where material is expelled from, but as far as we know, nothing can be expelled from a black hole. So, the observable (or indirectly observable) part we are left with is the mouth, hence the burp.
'
Burp, belch, fart?
How about hiccup or sneeze?
if we could smell it from here it would be
Get the smell-o-scope!
Farting black holes. What's next, clams got legs?
"Better to burp and taste it, than fart and waste it". It's rich either way.
A star just outside of but being pulled in or crossing the event horizon ,because of the distortion and disruption underwent a supernova explosion? (The star might have been ripe for the explosion)
I farted, and it did not come out the front end of my black hole.....
Looks like our theory on black holes is splotchy at this point, kinda like sharting in some tidy whitey's.....
Take two Tums and call me in the morning.
The article seems to say that this event is brighter than a supernova (cosmic standard candle used for distance). Is that correct?
Thats what she said
Why don't these people just admit they have no idea whatsoever what is going on out there? Instead they create theoretical objects floating in theoretical darkmatter interacting with theoretical subatomic quarks passing througjh 13 dimensions created by spontaneous outburst from nothing.
So what's causing all the radiation, which we are seeing as visible light? It' reality, accept it.
Check out the inset picture , its less then one pixel , but I recognize that face.
Gozer the Gozerian has appeared!
I would burp too from both holes if I ate that much matter and gases but it's okay as long no meat comes out with it............
They say if you can get past the smell, you've got it licked.
Well, this scientific observation doesn't affect commerce in the United States, so anyone who comes into this forum to argue why this is incorrect will be a scientist, as opposed to a stupid redneck.....at least we have that going for us....
A burp? I think NOT. More like squeezing a zit. The black hole is like the pores on our face always sucking air until one gets stopped up then grows into a super-massive black hole and eventually it spews zit matter all over the Galaxy.
Thank you so much for being open minded about this very difficult subject. It's refrreshing to open this to the world forum for further definitiion. We know so little about black holes that this can only help us understand more. Thanks!