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Overwhelming power
Compared to other supermassive black holes scattered throughout the universe, the one at the heart of our galaxy is mysteriously dormant. And now, NASA thinks to know why.
A powerful magnetic field in the center of the Milky Way is oriented just to prevent the black hole of our galaxy, Sagittarius A *, from emitting high energy radiation into the cosmos or producing raw materials for new stars, according to a NASA press release. The magnetic fields of other black holes directly drive the gas nearby, feeding the black holes and turning them into volatile cosmic ovens.
How do they work?
NASA scientists have used a new instrument called "wider wide-bandwidth broadband airborne camera" in SOFIA, an airborne observatory housed inside a Boeing 747. This instrument gave NASA an overview of the 100,000 years of activity of the magnetic field. the press release.
"The spiral shape of the magnetic field channels the gas into an orbit around the black hole," said Darren Dowell, NASA's scientist at the helm of new research. "It could explain why our black hole is calm while others are active.
Until NASA collated these data, scientists did not know why Sagittarius A * was so quiet compared to other surrounding galaxies. It now seems that the strange magnetic field of our galaxy deserves credit.
READ MORE: A magnetic field can keep the black hole of the silent Milky Way [NASA Newsroom]
More on black holes: Scientists produce the most accurate black hole simulations ever
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