28 September 2023 , 19:48
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Scientists studying black holes have said they have proven a black hole is spinning on an axis.
Researchers said in a study published in the journal Nature said the radio galaxy M87 is swinging up and down at an amplitude of around 10 degrees. The study, published by the Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters, said a global network of radio telescopes was used to make the findings.
"We are thrilled by this significant finding," said CUI Yuzhu, a postdoctoral researcher at Zhejiang Lab, based in Hangzhou and the study's lead, said. "Since the misalignment between the black hole and the disk is relatively small and the precession period is around 11 years, accumulating high-resolution data tracing M87's structure over two decades and thorough analysis are essential to obtain this achievement."
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A global network of radio telescopes was used to make the findings (European Southern Observatory/AF)A news release said a team used data spanning from 2000 to 2022 and from over 20 telescopes around the world to determine the black hole has a change in the orientation of its axis around once every 11 years. M87, the release said, was determined to be spinning by the measuring of its 'jet base.'
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A jet base is when the massive gravity of a black hole sucks in a stream of material, including light, that can extend thousands of light years across. The experts explained that the findings could prove a prediction in Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity that spinning black holes would pull in objects along its rotation.
"As infalling materials orbit the black hole due to their angular momenta, they form a disk-like structure before gradually spiraling inwards until they are fatefully drawn into the black hole," the release said. "However, if the black hole is spinning, it exerts a significant impact on surrounding spacetime, causing nearby objects to be dragged along its axis of rotation, a phenomenon known as "frame-dragging," which was predicted by Einstein's General Theory of Relativity."
M87 is located 55 million light-years from the Earth and is believed to be around 6.5 billion times the size of the sun. it is known as a 'radio galaxy' because it emits more light through radio wavelengths than what can be seen by the naked eye.
"After the success of black hole imaging in this galaxy with the EHT, whether this black hole is spinning or not has been a central concern among scientists," added Dr. Kazuhiro Hada from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. "Now anticipation has turned into certainty. This monster black hole is indeed spinning."