A West Australian radio astronomer is a step closer to understanding how black holes can launch superfast ‘bullets’ of gas into space, by identifying the exact moment when these ‘bullets’ form. Combining observations from NASA’s Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) satellite and the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) radio telescope, he led the international team of radio astronomers who made the discovery.
Identifying the moment when the ‘bullets’ of gas were launched will assist radio astronomers to better understand the physics of how and why black holes launch fast-moving flows of material outwards. This, in turn could help reveal more about similar processes occurring around super-sized black holes at the centres of galaxies.
Dr James Miller-Jones, principal investigator, The International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR)
http://news.curtin.edu.au/media-releases/scientists-pinpoint-timing-of-powerful-black-hole-activity/