\tScience & Exploration<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t09\/12\/2025
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Leading X-ray space telescopes XMM-Newton<\/a> and XRISM<\/a> have spotted an extraordinary blast from a supermassive black hole. In a matter of hours, the gravitational monster whipped up powerful winds, flinging material out into space at eye-watering speeds of 60\u00a0000 km per second.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tArtist\u2019s impression of the flaring, windy supermassive black hole in spiral galaxy NGC 3783<\/a><\/p>\n The gigantic black hole lurks within NGC 3783, a beautiful spiral galaxy imaged recently by the NASA\/ESA Hubble Space Telescope<\/a>. Astronomers spotted a bright X-ray flare erupt from the black hole before swiftly fading away. As it faded, fast winds emerged, raging at one-fifth of the speed of light.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve not watched a black hole create winds this speedily before,\u201d says lead researcher Liyi Gu at\u00a0Space Research Organisation Netherlands (SRON). \u201cFor the first time, we\u2019ve seen how a rapid burst of X-ray light from a black hole immediately triggers ultra-fast winds, with these winds forming in just a single day.\u201d<\/p>\n \tDevouring material <\/p>\n To study NGC 3783 and its black hole, Gu and colleagues simultaneously used the European Space Agency\u2019s XMM-Newton<\/a> and the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM)<\/a>, a JAXA-led mission with ESA and NASA participation.<\/p>\n The black hole in question is as massive as 30 million Suns. As it feasts on nearby material, it powers an extremely bright and active region at the heart of the spiral galaxy. This region, known as an Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN)<\/a>, blazes in all kinds of light, and throws powerful jets and winds out into the cosmos.<\/p>\n \u201cAGNs are really fascinating and intense regions, and key targets for both XMM-Newton and XRISM,\u201d adds Matteo Guainazzi, ESA XRISM Project Scientist and co-author of the discovery.<\/p>\n \u201cThe winds around this black hole seem to have been created as the AGN\u2019s tangled magnetic field suddenly \u2018untwisted\u2019 \u2013 similar to the flares that erupt from the Sun, but on a scale almost too big to imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n \tA little less alien<\/p>\n The winds from the black hole resemble large solar eruptions of material known as coronal mass ejections<\/a>, which form as the Sun hurls streams of superheated material into space. In this way, the study shows that supermassive black holes sometimes act like our own star, making these mysterious objects seem a little less alien.<\/p>\n In fact, a coronal mass ejection following an intense flare was spotted at the Sun as recently as 11 November<\/a>, with the winds associated with this event thrown out at initial speeds of 1500 km per second.<\/p>\n \u201cWindy AGNs also play a big role in how their host galaxies evolve over time, and how they form new stars,\u201d adds Camille Diez, a team member and ESA Research Fellow.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause they\u2019re so influential, knowing more about the magnetism of AGNs, and how they whip up winds such as these, is key to understanding the history of galaxies throughout the Universe.\u201d<\/p>\n \tA joint discovery<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tXMM-Newton<\/a><\/p>\n XMM-Newton has been a pioneering explorer of the hot and extreme Universe for over 25 years<\/a>, while XRISM has been working to answer key open questions about how matter and energy move through the cosmos since it launched in September 2023<\/a>.<\/p>\n The two X-ray space telescopes worked together to uncover this unique event and understand the black hole\u2019s flare and winds. XMM-Newton tracked the evolution of the initial flare with its Optical Monitor, and assessed the extent of the winds using its European Photon Imaging Camera (EPIC). XRISM spotted the flare and winds using its Resolve instrument, also studying the winds\u2019 speed, structure, and figuring out how they were launched into space.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir discovery stems from successful collaboration, something that\u2019s a core part of all ESA missions,\u201d says ESA XMM-Newton Project Scientist Erik Kuulkers.<\/p>\n \u201cBy zeroing in on an active supermassive black hole, the two telescopes have found something we\u2019ve not seen before: rapid, ultra-fast, flare-triggered winds reminiscent of those that form at the Sun. Excitingly, this suggests that solar and high-energy physics may work in surprisingly familiar ways throughout the Universe.\u201d<\/p>\n \tNotes for editors<\/p>\n \u2018Delving into the depths of NGC 3783 with XRISM: III. Birth of an ultrafast outflow during a soft flare\u2019<\/a>\u00a0by Liyi Gu et al. is published today in\u00a0Astronomy\u00a0& Astrophysics.\u00a0<\/p>\n