Astronomers have detected strong magnetic fields around the black hole at the center of the Milky Way, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) said.
A new image from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) has for the first time revealed a ring of magnetic fields surrounding the Sagittarius A* black hole in polarized light (polarized light images allow astronomers to separate the magnetic field lines). These magnetic fields are similar to those observed around the M87* black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. This suggests that strong magnetic fields may be common to all black holes, according to the ESO. “What we’re seeing is that there are strong, twisted, organized magnetic fields near the black hole at the center of the Milky Way,” said Sara Issaoun of the Harvard Center for Astronomy.
Supermassive black holes, located at the center of galaxies, have masses millions or even billions of times that of the Sun. They are believed to have appeared very early in the universe, but their origin remains a mystery. Nothing can escape their gravitational pull, not even light, making them impossible to observe directly.
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