A new study connects the black hole’s famous ring of light to a compact region that marks the likely base of the jet, bringing scientists closer to understanding how black holes power some of the brightest beacons in the universe.
NASA’s Chandra and the Very Large Array See Surprisingly Strong Black Hole Jet at Cosmic “Noon”
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NASA’s Chandra and the Very Large Array See Surprisingly Strong Black Hole Jet at Cosmic “Noon”
Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/CfA/J. Maithil et al.; Illustration: NASA/CXC/SAO/M. Weiss; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk
A black hole has blasted out a surprisingly powerful jet in the distant universe, according to a new study from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. This jet exists early enough in the cosmos that it is being illuminated by the leftover glow from the big bang itself.
Astronomers used Chandra and the U.S. National Science Foundation Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (NSF VLA) to study this black hole and its jet at a period they call “cosmic noon,” which occurred about three billion years after the universe began. During this time most galaxies and supermassive black holes were growing faster than at any other time during the history of the universe.
Scientists can use this jet to probe questions about how black holes helped shape their surroundings during this critical era in cosmic history. This science was presented at the 246th American Astronomical Society Conference in Anchorage, Alaska on Monday, June 9, 2025, 10:15 AM AK. You can read the full release from Chandra.
About NRAO
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is a facility of the U.S. National Science Foundation, operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.
This news article was originally published on the NRAO website on June 11, 2025.
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