In a stunning display of cosmic power, astronomers have observed a supermassive black hole flinging material into space at 60,000 kilometers per second—one-fifth the speed of light. The event, spotted by the X-ray space telescopes XMM-Newton and XRISM, unfolded over just hours, revealing a rapid burst of energy and outflowing winds.
Artist’s impression of the flaring, windy supermassive black hole in spiral galaxy NGC 3783
The black hole resides within NGC 3783, a spiral galaxy recently captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. Astronomers first detected a bright X-ray flare erupting from the black hole, which then quickly faded as powerful winds emerged. “We’ve not watched a black hole create winds this speedily before,” said Liyi Gu, lead researcher at Space Research Organisation Netherlands (SRON). “For the first time, we’ve seen how a rapid burst of X-ray light from a black hole immediately triggers ultra-fast winds, with these winds forming in just a single day.”
Devouring Material at the Core
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To investigate NGC 3783 and its central black hole, researchers simultaneously utilized the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton and the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM), a mission led by JAXA with participation from ESA and NASA.
This black hole boasts a mass 30 million times that of our Sun. As it consumes surrounding material, it fuels an exceptionally bright and active region at the galaxy’s heart. This region, known as an Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN), radiates intensely across the electromagnetic spectrum and launches powerful jets and winds into the cosmos.
“AGNs are really fascinating and intense regions, and key targets for both XMM-Newton and XRISM,” added Matteo Guainazzi, ESA XRISM Project Scientist and co-author of the discovery.
“The winds around this black hole appear to have been generated as the AGN’s tangled magnetic field suddenly ‘untwisted’ – a process akin to the flares that erupt from the Sun, but on an almost unimaginable scale.”
A Familiar Cosmic Phenomenon?
The winds emanating from the black hole bear a striking resemblance to large solar eruptions called coronal mass ejections, where the Sun expels streams of superheated material into space. This discovery suggests that supermassive black holes can, at times, behave similarly to our own star, making these enigmatic objects seem a little less alien.
Notably, a coronal mass ejection following an intense flare was observed on the Sun as recently as 11 November, with initial wind speeds reaching 1500 km per second.
“Windy AGNs also play a big role in how their host galaxies evolve over time, and how they form new stars,” added Camille Diez, a team member and ESA Research Fellow.
“Because they’re so influential, knowing more about the magnetism of AGNs, and how they whip up winds such as these, is key to understanding the history of galaxies throughout the Universe.”
A Collaborative Effort
XMM-Newton
XMM-Newton has been a pioneering explorer of the hot and extreme Universe for over 25 years, while XRISM has been working to answer key open questions about how matter and energy move through the cosmos since it launched in September 2023.
The two X-ray space telescopes collaborated to uncover this unique event and understand the black hole’s flare and winds. XMM-Newton tracked the evolution of the initial flare with its Optical Monitor, and assessed the extent of the winds using its European Photon Imaging Camera (EPIC). XRISM spotted the flare and winds using its Resolve instrument, also studying the winds’ speed, structure, and how they were launched into space.
“Their discovery stems from successful collaboration, something that’s a core part of all ESA missions,” says ESA XMM-Newton Project Scientist Erik Kuulkers.
XRISM spacecraft
“By zeroing in on an active supermassive black hole, the two telescopes have found something we’ve not seen before: rapid, ultra-fast, flare-triggered winds reminiscent of those that form at the Sun. Excitingly, this suggests that solar and high-energy physics may work in surprisingly familiar ways throughout the Universe.”
Source: European Space Agency
