Scientists have made an interesting discovery about a very large black hole that is 2.5 million light years away and billions of times heavier than our sun. They used a tool called the Spitzer Space Telescope which is no longer active to study this black hole located in the centre of the Andromeda galaxy, our nearest galactic neighbour.
Their research revealed that big amounts of gas and dust are being pulled into this massive black hole. According to their findings this process occurs very quietly.
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Previously researchers knew that large black holes could consume a lot of material from space but they were not sure what this particular black hole was eating. The latest findings show that it consumes steady streams of gas which cause its light to change as the gas swirls around it. NASA describes this action as similar to water swirling down a drain.
Almudena Prieto, a scientist involved in the study explained that by re-examining data collected 20 years ago and comparing it with new computer simulations they learned new details about how galaxies function.
The research also indicated that the speed and size of the gas and dust streams must be consistent otherwise the black hole’s behaviour changes affecting how brightly it shines. This challenges previous assumptions about how giant black holes consume nearby materials.
This study enhances our understanding of the dynamics within distant galaxies.
