Magnetic Fields May Muzzle Milky Way's Monster Black Hole
By Nola Taylor Redd 15 hours ago Science & Astronomy
Magnetic fields may keep the Milky Way's supermassive black hole quiet.
In this image, streamlines showing magnetic fields overlay a color image of the dusty ring surrounding the Milky Way's supermassive black hole. Warm material falling toward the black hole creates a Y-shaped structure, with the black hole lying near the intersection of the two arms. (Image: © Dust and magnetic fields: NASA/SOFIA; Star field image: NASA/Hubble Space Telescope)
Magnetic forces may explain why the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way is so much quieter than its counterparts in other galaxies.
New observations, taken by NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) mission, reveal unprecedented information about the strong magnetic field lines at the center of the galaxy.
The strong gravitational pull of the Milky Way's central black hole, which is known as Sagittarius A*, dominates the heart of the galaxy. In general, as material falls into black holes, the dark giants emit high-energy radiation that reveals their presence. Compared to black holes seen in other galaxies, however, the Milky Way's heart is relatively quiet, emitting far less radiation than expected. Understanding how black holes interact with their magnetic fields can help scientists understand the difference between active and quiet black holes.
Whether they exist around refrigerator magnets or black holes, magnetic fields are invisible. To study the ones connected to Sagittarius A*, researchers relied on SOFIA, which is a modified Boeing 747SP aircraft. Specifically, they employed SOFIA's newest instrument, the High-resolution Airborne Wideband Camera-Plus (HAWC+), to track polarized far-infrared light emitted by dust particles.
More:
https://www.space.com/milky-way-supermassive-black-hole-magnetic-field-quiet.html
