Milky Way's black hole 'exhaust vent' discovered in eerie X-ray observations

By Brandon Specktor published June 27, 2024

A gargantuan "exhaust vent" may be channeling hot gas away from the Milky Way's supermassive black hole at millions of miles per hour — and filling up two enormous bubbles that tower over the galaxy.



A composite image taken with the Chandra X-ray Observatory and MeerKAT radio telescope shows the Milky Way's supermassive black hole (circled at left) linked to a huge blue exhaust vent (circled at right) by a stream of gas spanning 700 light-years long (Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Chicago/S.C. Mackey et al.; Radio: NRF/SARAO/MeerKAT; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk)


The monster black hole at the center of our galaxy may be unleashing huge, gassy explosions — and now, astronomers think they've pinpointed the exact spot where that superheated gas is spilling into the Milky Way.

Acting like a gargantuan exhaust vent, the newly discovered feature is a bright region of X-ray energy that's nearly 700 light-years from the galaxy's supermassive black hole but linked to it by a long "chimney" of superhot gas.

According to new research accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal, this spray of X-rays results from hot, black-hole-driven gas traveling up the chimney and colliding with cooler gas in the surrounding environment at more than 2 million mph (3.2 million km/h), sending enormous shock waves rippling through the galaxy.

The discovery could unlock secrets about the supermassive black hole's eating habits — and help reveal the true nature of some of the most mysterious objects lurking in the galactic center.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/space/black-holes/milky-ways-black-hole-exhaust-vent-discovered-in-eerie-x-ray-observations