Supermassive Black Hole Sings for Its Supper: Scientific American

In summary, astronomers have discovered a symphony coming from a supermassive black hole at the center of the Perseus Cluster, located 250 million light-years away from Earth. Although it is impossible to hear the black hole's song due to its extremely low pitch, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has detected sound waves emanating from the black hole. These waves are caused by shock waves from material hitting the event horizon of the black hole with enormous energy. This phenomenon is similar to images of a black hole venting, where the force of excess matter being shifted aside is greater than the force drawing the rest in.
  • #1
Ivan Seeking
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
8,142
1,756
Astronomers have discovered the longest-running symphony in a cluster of galaxies more than 250 million light-years from Earth. Results from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory announced yesterday indicate sound waves are emanating from a supermassive black hole located at the center of the Perseus Cluster. It is impossible to hear the black hole's song, however, because its pitch is more than a million, billion times lower than the limit of human hearing

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=0009748F-3954-1F5E-905980A84189EEDF
 
Astronomy news on Phys.org
  • #2
I'm not in any way qualified to comment on black holes, but it was my understanding that nothing could escape its grasp, including light. (hence the black hole) So what gives, how can it emanate sound waves?
 
Last edited:
  • #3
The Hole is not emananting souds waves per se. Material hitting the event horizon does so with enormous energy, some of that causes huge shock waves in surrounding gas/dust. This is what Chandra is seeing.
 
  • #4
This wave is coming from the edge of the black hole? So there is a point where matter can escape. This must be similar to the images of a black hole venting. The force of the excess matter being shifted aside must be greater then the force drawing the rest in.
 

1. What is a supermassive black hole?

A supermassive black hole is a type of black hole that is much larger in mass than other types of black holes. They are found at the center of most galaxies, including our own Milky Way galaxy, and can have masses billions of times greater than that of our sun.

2. What does it mean for a black hole to "sing"?

The term "singing" refers to the low-frequency sound waves that are emitted by a supermassive black hole as it devours surrounding matter. These waves are not audible to the human ear, but they can be detected by specialized instruments.

3. How do scientists study these "songs" of supermassive black holes?

Scientists use a technique called gravitational wave astronomy to study the songs of supermassive black holes. This involves measuring tiny changes in space and time caused by the gravitational waves emitted by the black hole.

4. Why do supermassive black holes emit these sounds?

The singing of a supermassive black hole is caused by the friction and turbulence created as matter falls into the black hole's event horizon. This process also releases huge amounts of energy in the form of X-rays and gamma rays.

5. What can we learn from studying the songs of supermassive black holes?

Studying the songs of supermassive black holes can provide valuable insights into the nature of these mysterious objects and the processes that govern their behavior. It can also help us better understand the formation and evolution of galaxies, as supermassive black holes play a significant role in shaping their structure.

Similar threads

Exploring Miniature Black Holes
    • Astronomy and Astrophysics
Replies
1
Views
2K
Supermassive Black Hole Sings "BOOM" in B Flat
    • Astronomy and Astrophysics
Replies
21
Views
6K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top