Capturing the first-ever direct image of a powerful jet of matter emitted by a supermassive black hole

Observations of the black hole at the center of the galaxy Messier 87 (M87) can help reveal how jets of black holes, which are among the brightest objects in the universe, form.

In an article published Wednesday in the journal Nature, Dr. Rou Sen Lu, lead author of the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory in China, explained: “We know that jets shoot out from the region around black holes, but we still don't fully understand how this actually happens. To study this directly, we need to to observe the origin of the jets as close as possible to the black hole.”

Most galaxies have a supermassive black hole at their center and these objects act as galactic blackholes, permanently swallowing anything that drifts above the event horizon.

Many black holes also shoot powerful jets of matter from their poles at close to the speed of light.

The most recent observations were made in 2018 using telescopes from the GMVA, ALMA and Greenland Radio Telescope (GLT).

The target was the elliptical galaxy Messier 87 located 55 light meters away, home to a black hole 6.5 billion times more massive than the sun.

Scientists believe that the jets are powered by the rotation of the black hole. However, it is not clear exactly where the jets come from.

The theory suggests that it could be located near the event horizon, the so-called point of no return, or just outside it in the Ergoregion, a region where space-time shares itself with the black hole.

The new image shows the base of the attached jet of material orbiting the supermassive black hole, although it does not pinpoint the exact origin.

"This is the first image where we can determine where the bright ring of light is in relation to the powerful jet escaping from the central black hole," said Dr Kazunori Akiyama of MIT's Haystack Observatory, who developed the imaging software used to capture the black hole. Questions like how particles are accelerated and heated, and many other mysteries about a black hole, run deeper." Source: The Guardian

China is developing satellites for deep space exploration

Xinhua announced that China is working on a project to launch a constellation of satellites that will help it in its program dedicated to the study of deep space.

According to the agency, China plans to develop a group of test satellites by 2030, and these satellites will help it in the project of exploring deep space and studying and exploring planets.

The agency indicated that the new Chinese satellites will provide communication services, air navigation services, remote sensing services and data transmission services, and these satellites will be effectively used within the framework of the Chinese program to build a scientific station on the surface of the moon.

By the year 2040, it is assumed that the group of new Chinese satellites will have started working at full capacity to be used in projects to explore the moon and provide services for exploratory trips that will be sent to Mars and Venus, and by 2050 it is assumed that the group of these satellites will be expanded, which will allow China to implement programs related to Studying the giant planets and the outer reaches of the solar system.

China has been working remarkably actively in recent years to develop its own space program, develop vehicles, space missiles and satellites, and astronomers there are working on a project aimed at studying Mars, asteroids and celestial bodies.

Last year, China succeeded in carrying out 64 space launches, setting a new national record, and ranked second in the world after the United States in this field. Source: Vesti

25 mysterious radio signals detected in space are constantly repeating

The fast radio burst (FRB) is one of the most powerful and mysterious astronomical phenomena in the scientific community to date.

These transient events consist of fiery explosions that produce more energy in a fraction of a second than the sun does in three days.

Using a new type of algorithm, astronomers have found evidence of 25 new, repetitive fast radio bursts emanating from distant galaxies outside the Milky Way.

These jets are so powerful that they can outshine the entire galaxy from which they emerge. But despite this incredible power, the origins of the fast radio burst (FRB) remain a mystery.

In the new study, a team led by astronomers from the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME)/FRB Collaboration, a next-generation radio telescope located at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO) in British Columbia, Canada, in collaboration with the University of Toronto, found the jets The 25 repeated fast radios, thus bringing the known total to 50.

This could lead scientists to discover what causes these outbursts and also suggests that many more fast radio bursts could eventually be repeated than previously thought, team members said.

Astronomers have detected many fast radio bursts over the past decade, but the vast majority of them were infrequent and only seen to "burst" once.

Only a small portion was seen repeating. This led the astronomers to ask whether the frequent and infrequent fast radio bursts come from the same sources.

The fact that these two groups of fast radio bursts appear to have different characteristics — including how long they last and the range of frequencies they appear through — also indicates their diverse origins.

The key to confirming this is the discovery of more frequent radio flashes, which the team involved in this study has done by developing a new set of statistical tools by combing the data to analyze each radio frequency radio burst, including those that are not immediately apparent.

"We can now accurately calculate the probability that two or more bursts coming from similar locations are not just a coincidence," study team member Ziggy Blonis, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto's Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, said in a statement. The study will also be very useful for similar research in the future."

One of the surprising aspects of the new study is the finding that many of the repeated fast radio bursts are inactive, producing less than one burst per week during the time of the CHIME observations.

Belonis believes this may be because the fast radio bursts have not yet been observed long enough for a second burst to be detected.

The repetition of the fast radio fluxes is extremely beneficial to astronomers as they offer the opportunity to observe the same sources of the fast radio fluxes using telescopes other than the one you saw at the beginning, allowing these mysterious events to be seen in finer detail.

Study team member Adize Ipek, from the University of Toronto, said: "It is exciting that CHIME/FRB sees multiple flashes from the same locations, as this allows for detailed investigation of their nature. We have been able to focus on some of these recurring sources and have already identified possible associated galaxies for two of them." .

The team's findings could also have implications beyond helping narrow the search for the origins of fast radio bursts.

“It is likely that the FRBs are caused by the remnants of dying supernovae,” Belonis said. By studying the sources of the repeated FBFs in detail, we can study the environments in which these bursts occur and better understand the final stages of a star's life. We can also learn more about the star's life. Material that is expelled before and during a star's demise, which is then returned to the galaxies in which the FRF lives."

The new study was published April 26 in The Astrophysical Journal. Source: Myspace