Black Holes: Unveiling the Secrets of Sgr A* - New Discoveries and Insight

The exploration of black holes has always been a fascinating journey for astronomers, and in 2023, a significant discovery was made about Sgr A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. One of the most intriguing findings is the presence of light-years-long "whiskers" or filaments coming from Sgr A*.

New Discoveries From the MeerKAT Telescope

A team of astronomers, led by Farhad Yusef-Zadeh, used the MeerKAT telescope to observe explosive outbursts of threads of hot gas extending from Sgr A*. These filaments, which are radio energy colour-coded, are estimated to be a few light-years long and streaming outward along the galactic plane. Their age has been estimated at approximately six million years.

Direction and Alignment of Filaments

The position angles (PA) of these filaments, which range between -30° and 30°, indicate a clear direction towards Sgr A*. According to the researchers, these long filaments suggest that the black hole might be spinning on an axis parallel to the galactic plane. This finding could shed light on the orientation of the black hole.

Imagery and Analysis

The MeerKAT images reveal a detailed mosaic of these filaments, with each filament's position angle clearly marked. The diagram below shows the position angles of short filaments within a cone pointed in the direction of Sgr A*.

Diagram of Filament Position Angles

Another interesting finding is the horizontal filaments, which seem to be moving away from Sagittarius A towards the area of the Milky Way where our solar system is located. This suggests a scenario of a collimated outflow from the black hole.

Inferred Jet Direction and Flow Rate

Analysis of these filaments and the nonthermal radio emission suggests that an estimated mass flow rate of 10^4 M⊙/yr is required for the outflow to align the nonthermal radio filaments and accelerate thermal gas along the Galactic plane. This outflow is perpendicular to the equatorial plane of the accretion flow of Sgr A* and runs along the Galactic plane. The opening angle of the outflow is estimated to be approximately 40° with respect to the Galactic plane.

The age of this outflow is at least 6 million years, adding more depth to our understanding of the dynamics of Sgr A* and, by extension, the behavior of supermassive black holes in general.

Conclusion

In summary, the analysis of the PA distribution of the entire system of thermal and nonthermal radio filaments in the Galactic Center (GC) using filtered MeerKAT images has provided valuable insights into the nature of Sgr A* and the behavior of the filaments surrounding it. The findings shed light on the orientation of the black hole and the dynamics of the outflow, which could have implications for our understanding of the accretion process and the evolution of galaxies.