‘UFOs’ Are Coming Out Of Black Holes And Altering Galaxies Forever
Black holes are still a mysterious force of spacetime, with the first image of one having been released just a few short months ago. Now, a new study suggests that “UFOs” are coming out of them, helping to reshape galaxies along the way.
According to research published in Astronomy and Astrophysics, hot ionized gas — known as an ultra-fast outflow (UFO) — is flying out of supermassive black holes and could help explain why there is nearly empty darkness encompassing the center of several galaxies.
“These winds might explain some surprising correlations that scientists have known about for years but couldn’t explain,” said the study’s lead author, Roberto Serafinelli, in a statement.
Artist’s impression showing how ultrafast winds blowing from a supermassive black hole interact with interstellar matter in the host galaxy, clearing its central regions from gas. (Credit: ESA/ATG medialab)
“For example, we see a correlation between the masses of supermassive black holes and the velocity dispersion of stars in the inner parts of their host galaxies,” Serafinelli added. “But there is no way this could be due to the gravitational effect of the black hole. Our study, for the first time, shows how these black hole winds impact the galaxy on a larger scale, possibly providing the missing link.”
“Finding one source is great, but knowing that this phenomenon is common in the Universe would be a real breakthrough,” said Schartel. “Even with XMM-Newton, we might be able to find more such sources in the next decade.”
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