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Scientists said they still need to investigate further to clarify what the characteristics of this phenomenon are.
New research suggests that the light produced in the expansion process of black holes may be bright enough to reflect dust and create light and dark rays similar to the effect of evening rays on Earth.
The study of the ‘strange rays of light’ emitted by a supermassive black hole in the IC 5063 galaxy began last year, when astronomical imager Judy Schmidt tried to determine whether large cones of light were seen in the photos. Checking, he wondered what the dark areas were between them.
In turn, Professor Peter Maksym of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (USA) was also studying the gigantic ring of ionized gas that emerged from the central region of the galaxy. Then, Maksym and other astronomers discussed possible explanations with Schmidt and through new images captured by Hubble they reformulated some ideas about the light emitted by black holes, these new approaches were published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
As they explained, the light produced by the accretion of a black hole – from a toroid, a ring-shaped cloud – could be what bright enough to reflect dust, illuminating the host galaxy and also creating light and dark rays.
“The torus can be very thin, the light seems to come out almost everywhere. If the torus is big enough it becomes unstable, the gravity and rotation that hold it together point in a direction near the black hole and in a different direction as you go. influences from the galaxy start to matter. It looks like a warp or a curve, “Maksym explains.
As indicated, the light coming out of the torus hits the dust scattered around the galaxy and in the case of IC 5063, which is the product of a recent galactic merger, the dust is distributed everywhere. Furthermore, the specialist pointed out that “it is possible that the deformation creates spaces large enough for some of the light to shine through and as the torus rotates, the rays of light could pass through the galaxy as a lighthouse does through the fog.”
“Scientifically, it is showing us something that is difficult, and generally impossible, to see directly. This could have implications for anyone trying to understand the behavior of supermassive black holes and their environment,” he added.
However, the team of researchers is not yet able to verify that they have found an explanation for the characteristics of the lights and their environment. “We don’t know 100% what’s going on, this whole discovery was unexpected, “concluded Maksym.
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