At the center of the Milky Way , there is a supermassive black hole 4.6 million time the multitude of the Sun calledSagittarius A * . Some supermassive black cakehole cease up in a eating hysteria , gobbling cloth and emit intense irradiation that can strike a whole galaxy , but not Sagittarius A * . Researchers now think they have uncovered the reason why certain supermassive contraband hole are quiet .
Brand Modern notice of the gas and debris around the center of the galaxy have countenance researcher to put to work out the magnetised field around Sagittarius A * . Although gravity dominates the kinetics of the material around the black hole , this study , soon to be issue in the Astrophysical Journal , testify that the magnetic fields can not be ignored .
The observations picture a Y - mould region around the black hole full of quick material and a larger ring - like structure coil inwards . Each limb of the Y has its own magnetic field and both are distinct from the wider doughnut . The fundamental interaction between all of them may be dilute the amount of material return in .
“ The voluted shape of the charismatic field channels the gasolene into an orbit around the black hole , ” result author Darren Dowell , a scientist at NASA ’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory , said in astatement . “ This could explain why our bootleg kettle of fish is hushed while others are active . ”
The observations were possible thanks to the high - resolution Airborne Wideband Camera - Plus , HAWC+ on NASA ’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy ( SOFIA ) . When outer space detritus is embedded in a magnetized field , molecules align in a certain elbow room , which entail the light emitted by this dust will have a sure orientation . This dimension , know as polarisation , allowed the researchers to see the otherwise unseeable magnetic field of the region .
“ This is one of the first instances where we can really see how magnetic field and interstellar matter interact with each other , ” take down co - author Joan Schmelz , from a Universities Space Research Center astrophysicist at NASA Ames Research Center in California ’s Silicon Valley . “ HAWC+ is a game - changer . ”
The research was presented at the June 2019 get together of theAmerican Astronomical Society .
