Astronomers have made a significant discovery that they have found a strong, organized magnetic field wrapped around the Milky Way`s supermassive black hole. This finding offers new insights into the powerful object lurking at the heart of our galaxy.
The magnetic field around the black hole, called Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), resembles the one surrounding another imaged black hole in the nearby galaxy Messier 87 (M87*). This suggests that strong magnetic fields might be common among black holes.
While M87*`s magnetic field helps it shoot material jets into space, no such jets have been detected around Sgr A* yet. But researchers think they might exist and become observable soon.
Using polarized light, scientists revealed the magnetic field`s structure around Sgr A* for the first time. This lights are being emitted from electrons moving around magnetic field lines.
Sgr A* is incredibly massive, about 4 million times the mass of the sun, and it sits about 26,000 light-years away from Earth.
Astronomer Sara Issaoun says magnetic fields likely play a crucial role in how black holes interact with surrounding matter.
The spiral shape of the magnetic field around Sgr A* suggests it could generate powerful jets like those observed in M87*.
This discovery was made using observations from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), a global network of observatories.
The EHT captured polarized light from hot, glowing gas near the black holes, revealing the magnetic fields` structure and strength.
The study, published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, emphasizes the importance of polarized light observations in understanding the dynamics of black holes.
