Artist's impression of the winds emanating from the supermassive black hole
Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)
Astronomers have made the most detailed observation yet of an ultra-fast wind emanating from a Black Hole at a quarter of the speed of light. Using the European Space Agency (ESA)?s XMM-Newton and NASA's NuSTAR telescopes, the scientists observed the phenomenon in an active galaxy known as IRAS 13224-3809. Understanding these winds is crucial to understanding how galaxies, including our own, grow - Dr Michael Parker Outflowing gas is a common features of the supermassive black holes that reside at the centre of large galaxies. Often millions of times more massive than the Sun, these black holes feed off the surrounding gas that swirls around them. Space telescopes observe this as a bright light from the innermost part of the disc around the black hole. Occasionally the black holes consume too much gas and release an ultra-fast wind. These winds are an important characteristic to study because they could have a strong influence on regulating the growth of the host galaxy by clearing the surrounding gas away and therefore suppressing the birth of stars.
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