Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
NASA scientists have identified massive black holes capable of firing powerful particle beams into space, similar to the Death Star from Star Wars.
Credit : NASA
The discovery was made on May 22 by astronomers using the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the National Radio Astronomical Observatory’s (NRAO) Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA).
The team detected 16 supermassive black holes in galaxies surrounded by hot gas, analyzing the directions of the particle jets they emit.
The VLBA radio data allowed scientists to determine the current direction of each jet, revealing that each black hole fires two beams in opposite directions.
About a third of the beams were found to be pointing in entirely different directions than previously observed, indicating that the black holes are “swivelling” to new targets.
Francesco Ubertosi, the study leader, compared these swivelling black holes to the Death Star, noting their ability to change aim and target different celestial objects.
X-ray and radio data showed that these jets can change direction by over 90 degrees within timescales ranging from one million to several tens of millions of years.
The scientists believe these beams play a crucial role in determining star formation within their galaxies, potentially preventing the formation of stars and planets.
Ewan O’Sullivan from the Center For Astrophysics noted that while it is difficult to see if the beams are damaging stars and planets, they are likely preventing many from forming in the first place.