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Astronomers Catch Unprecedented Features at Brink of Active Black Hole

Astronomers Catch Unprecedented Features at Brink of Active Black Hole

Jan 16, 2025

International teams of astronomers monitoring a supermassive black hole in the heart of a distant galaxy have detected features never seen before using data from NASA missions and other facilities including the National Science Foundation (NSF) National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). The features include the launch of a plasma jet moving at nearly one-third the speed of light and unusual, rapid X-ray fluctuations likely arising from near the very edge of the black hole.

AUI and Managed Facilities to Attend AAS 245

AUI and Managed Facilities to Attend AAS 245

Jan 13, 2025

AUI and the National Science Foundation’s National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) will present at the 245th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in National Harbor, Maryland, from January 12-16.

Helical Magnetic Fields: A Universal Mechanism for Jet Collimation?

Helical Magnetic Fields: A Universal Mechanism for Jet Collimation?

Jan 8, 2025

New observations from the National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s (NSF NRAO) Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (NSF VLA) provide compelling evidence supporting a universal mechanism for the collimation of astrophysical jets, regardless of their origin. A new study, published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, reveals the presence of a helical magnetic field within the HH 80-81 protostellar jet, a finding that mirrors similar structures observed in jets emanating from supermassive black holes.

Astronomers Detect Earliest and Most Distant Blazar in the Universe

Astronomers Detect Earliest and Most Distant Blazar in the Universe

Dec 18, 2024

A groundbreaking discovery has revealed the presence of a blazar—a supermassive black hole with a jet pointed directly at Earth—at an extraordinary redshift of 7.0. The object, designated VLASS J041009.05−013919.88 (J0410−0139), is the most distant blazar ever identified, providing a rare glimpse into the epoch of reionization when the universe was less than 800 million years old.

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