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Anomalous behavior of magnetic field of M87 black hole

  • Posted By
    10Pointer
  • Categories
    Science & Technology
  • Published
    26th Mar, 2021

Astronomers have released a new and detailed image of the M87 black hole, which shows spiraling lines with mysterious magnetic forces close to its edges.

Context

Astronomers have released a new and detailed image of the M87 black hole, which shows spiraling lines with mysterious magnetic forces close to its edges.

Key-highlights of the finding

  • The image released is blurry and showed a ring of light around a dark central region.
  • This shows that the light around the black hole is polarized.
  • The distinct magnetic lines in the image are a result of polarised light.
  • Reason for polarization: Light becomes polarized when it passes through certain filters.
  • Filters: lenses of polarized sunglasses, hot regions of magnetic fields can act as filters.
  • Significance of the finding: Astronomers expects to understand the reason
  • behind the eating of matter by black hole
  • shoots out massive jet particles into outer space
  • behavior of magnetic fields around black holes

M87 black hole

  • The black hole was originally captured in April 2019.
  • M87 (Messier 87), also called Virgo A or NGC4486, a giant elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo.
  • M87 is considered to be the most powerful known source of radio energy among the thousands of galactic systems constituting the Virgo Cluster. 
  • Its nucleus contains a black hole M87.
    • The black hole at the center of the massive galaxy M87 is about 55 million light-years from Earth.
    • It was the first image of a black hole and its shadow was first given by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT).
    • The black hole is 6.5 billion times bigger than the Sun.
    • Because of the rotation of the black hole, the ring is brighter on one side.
    • The material on the side of the black hole turning toward Earth has an emission boost due to the Doppler effect.

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