The black hole M87* (the asterisk designates the black hole in the middle of galaxy M87) caught the world’s attention when it was first detected by the Event Horizon Telescope.
Model by Andrew Chael, George Wong, Alexandru Lupsasca and Eliot Quataert, Princeton Gravity Initiative
Eliot Quataert, Princeton’s Charles A. Young Professor of Astronomy, and a team including other current and former Princetonians have provided new evidence for energy leaving the region close to the event horizon of the black hole M87* observed by the Event Horizon Telescope. Quataert explains: A black hole “ can rotate, and just like a spinning top slows down over time and loses that energy in its rotation, a rotating black hole can also lose energy to its surroundings.” Former Princeton postdoc Alexandru Lupsasca explained that the energy outflow coming out of the black hole M87* is believed to produce jets that “are basically like million-light-year-long Jedi lightsabers.”
Amazing work, Eliot and team!
To read more, visit the Princeton website.