How Can Both Jets from a Black Hole Appear to Move Faster Than Light?

  • Context: Stargazing 
  • Thread starter Thread starter K. Doc Holiday
  • Start date Start date
Join the discussion
Ask a follow-up here, or get your own question answered by working scientists, mathematicians and engineers — people, not an autocomplete.
Real named experts · corrections over time · the nuance an AI answer skips
3 replies · 2K views
K. Doc Holiday
Messages
32
Reaction score
13
If my memory serves me correctly current theory says that the relativistic jets shooting out from a black hole (I assume perpendicular to the event horizon) are pointed in opposite directions. That means if one is pointed directly at us the other must be aimed directly away from us.

Superluminosity is a term created in an attempt to dismiss the empirical (visual) data we collect regarding relativistic jets. The majority of jets are seen traveling faster than the speed of light. Not 10% faster. Somewhere between 300% to 3,000% faster.

Superluminosity assumes this is an optical illusion which occurs when a jet is pointed directly at earth. So, here is my question:

How is it that both jets from a black hole appear to go faster than light, which is true for most pairs of jets?

Shouldn't one be "superluminous" and the other invisible? A jet heading away from us at 99% of the speed of light shouldn't be visible let alone "superluminous" right?

Once again I apologize for my stupid questions and i appreciate your patience.

Sincerely
Doc
 
Astronomy news on Phys.org
K. Doc Holiday said:
The majority of jets are seen traveling faster than the speed of light. Not 10% faster. Somewhere between 300% to 3,000% faster.
Huh? Where did you see/read this? Things do NOT move faster than light so I'm not sure what you might be talking about.
 
K. Doc Holiday said:
How is it that both jets from a black hole appear to go faster than light, which is true for most pairs of jets?

Shouldn't one be "superluminous" and the other invisible? A jet heading away from us at 99% of the speed of light shouldn't be visible let alone "superluminous" right?

I believe it's only the jets that are moving at a small angle toward us that appear to be superluminal.

http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Relativity/SpeedOfLight/Superluminal/superluminal.html
https://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/ESSAYS/Cohen/cohen.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superluminal_motion
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: davenn