Although scientists have been studying black holes since the early 1900s, there is still much to be discovered about their properties. For the first time, images of the supermassive black hole Messier 87 (M87) reveals that its shadow has been wobbling over time. A recent study in The Astrophysical Journal reveals the physical changes of M87 and the surrounding area through time.
M87 is known for being a powerful X-ray source, possibly indicating hot gas in the galaxy. The invisible cosmic body lies within the Virgo constellation nearly 55 million light-years from Earth.
Since M87 continually rotates, one side of its ring is brighter than the other. An image of the black hole, captured by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), was first revealed in 2019.
Supermassive Black Holes
How supermassive black holes form is still mysterious to astronomers. Some believe that they may be the result of several stars colliding into one another.
These giant beings of empty space are also believed to the center of all large galaxies, including the milky way. Their presence is detected by the behavior of surrounding stars and gas.
In the recent study, observations of M87 from 2009 to 2017 reveal an asymmetric ring or crescent. The authors wrote that "trajectories of the emitted photons are subject to strong deflection in the vicinity of the event horizon," which results in a surrounding ring when observed from afar, or the anticipated shadow of the black hole.
Astronomer Maciek Wielgus said that the EHT can detect how M87 morphs within days. Last year, the black hole's shadow was revealed for the first time, he shared. However, the images were only observed within one week so there was not enough time to keep track of changes.
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Old Observations of Messier 87
Confirming how the black hole has been changing over time is a "confirmation of theoretical expectations as the consistency throughout multiple observational epochs gives us more confidence than ever about the nature of M87* and the origin of the shadow."
Its crescent diameter has remained consistent while its ring has been wobbling. The outflow of energy fields and charged particles are critical in understanding how black holes' host galaxy interacts with the surrounding medium, said astrophysicist Richard Ananta. These findings may help reveal how supermassive black holes form.
Wiegus explained that as flowing matter falls onto the black hole creating turbulent activity, the ring wobbles over time. Moreover, the movement is continuously increasing in intensity under the influence of gravity, known as accretion flow.
In the study, the team was able to test predictions regarding general relativity (Einstein's theory) and "observe the effects of strong gravity." They also analyzed relativistic jets, or radiation and particles traveling near light speed.
Shep Deleman of the EHT shared that M87 images are a "treasure trove of long-term observations." As scientists continue to study new and previous observations, they hope to gain more understanding of black holes.
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