Have you ever wondered what’s going on in the Milky Way, the center of our galaxy? Something amazing and terrifying is hiding there – a supermassive black hole weighing as much as 4 million suns. Nothing comes out of it, it’s a monster that can’t even emit light. It can swallow stars, gas, and dust and spit them out in giant jets spanning thousands of light years. But this black hole doesn’t just sit around waiting for its next victim. It also rotates around its axis at a tremendous speed close to the speed of light. And that makes them even more dangerous and mysterious. This is because the rotation of the black hole distorts the space-time around it, making it look like an American football. And that gives it a chance to harness that rotational energy to generate even more powerful jets that could change the galaxy. Does such a thing ever happen? Let’s check it out. A black hole is not just a hole in space, but an object with two fundamental properties: mass and rotation. A black hole’s mass is determined by how strongly it attracts things around it. A black hole’s rotation then determines how it interacts with matter and spacetime. The faster a black hole spins, the more energy it can extract from its rotation and transfer it to matter that approaches it.
And matter that approaches a black hole doesn’t just fall into the black hole, it forms a disk of hot gas around the black hole called an accretion disk. This disk emits her X-rays and gamma rays, which can be observed with special telescopes. However, not all the matter in the disk ends up in the black hole. Some of it is reflected in the form of thin streams called jets. These jets generate radio waves that can be observed with other telescopes. This is where the rotation of the black hole comes into play. The faster the black hole spins, the more energy is transferred to the jet, making it stronger and longer. And jets can impact anything they encounter along the way. They can blow gas out of galaxies, depriving them of fuel to form new stars. Alternatively, compressing and cooling gas could stimulate star formation. It can also transport chemical elements synthesized within stars to interstellar and intergalactic space, enriching the universe. Therefore, the rotation of a black hole is not just a characteristic, but an important factor that determines its role in the universe. By studying the rotation of black holes, we can learn how they interact with matter and space-time, how they affect galaxies, and how that could change our future. You will be able to better understand what is there. But how can we measure the rotation of a black hole? It’s not as easy as it sounds. To do this, we need to know not only the mass of the black hole, but also the properties of the matter and jets surrounding it. And this requires the joint use of different types of telescopes operating in different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Recently, a team of scientists used a new method to determine the rotation speed of black holes using data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Karl Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope. They found that Sgr A* rotates at an angular velocity of about 60% of the maximum possible limiting speed of light. This means that a black hole spins so fast that it distorts space-time around it, making it look like a soccer ball.
This result is consistent with other estimates obtained previously using other methods, but contradicts the estimate that Sgr A* is effectively irrotational. This shows that measuring the rotation of a black hole is a complex and simple task that requires precise data and theoretical models. But why does it matter? Because a black hole’s rotation could hold the key to understanding its past and future. The rotation of the black hole acts as an energy store that can be used to launch and sustain jets. This jet, in turn, can influence the evolution of the galaxy in which the black hole resides. Currently, Sgr A* is dormant, but that may change as more material approaches. This could happen, for example, if a black hole ripped apart a star that got too close. The black hole will then be able to use its rotational energy to generate more powerful jets that impact its surroundings. This could happen in a thousand years, or a million years, or even in our time. Therefore, the rotation of a black hole is not just a characteristic, but an important factor that determines its role in the universe. By studying the rotation of black holes, we can learn how they interact with matter and space-time, how they affect galaxies, and how that could change our future. You will be able to better understand what is there. But how can we study the rotation of a black hole? To do this, we need not only telescopes to explain how the rotation of a black hole is related to its mass, the properties of matter, and the surrounding jets. Theory is also necessary. And it’s not as easy as it seems. To do this, many factors need to be considered, including magnetic fields, turbulence, and relativistic effects. This also requires complex mathematical models and calculations. Recently, a team of scientists used a new method to determine the rotation speed of black holes using data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Karl Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope. They used an empirically based theoretical method called the “ejection method” to describe the relationship between a black hole’s spin and mass, the properties of matter near the black hole, and the properties of the ejecta. They found that Sgr A* rotates at an angular velocity of about 60% of the maximum possible limiting speed of light. This means that a black hole spins so fast that it distorts space-time around it, making it look like a soccer ball.
This result is consistent with other estimates obtained previously using other methods, but contradicts the estimate that Sgr A* is effectively irrotational. This shows that measuring the rotation of a black hole is a complex and simple task that requires precise data and theoretical models. It also shows that we still know a lot about black holes and their impact on the universe. In the future, new telescopes and techniques, such as the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), which was able to capture the first image, may allow us to obtain even more precise and detailed data about the rotation of a black hole. there is. Black hole in galaxy M87. Or we might be able to watch a black hole wake up and begin to unleash its power, emitting jets that can be seen from far away.