In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have provided the first-ever proof that black holes, typically known for their insatiable appetite, can indeed lose energy. Long-held beliefs centered around magnetic fields potentially extracting energy from black holes lacked substantiation until now.
The focus of this revelation is the M87 supermassive black hole, which is emitting vast amounts of energy due to its magnetic field. Described as “million-light-year-long Jedi lightsabers,” the outflow jets from M87 can surpass the length of the Milky Way galaxy by tenfold. Co-author Alexandru Lupsasca and his team’s findings shed light on the mysterious ways in which black holes interact with their surroundings. George Wong, another co-author, aptly compared the energy output to detonating the Earth a thousand times per second for millions of years.
This discovery not only adds a new dimension to our understanding of black holes but also reinforces Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, predicting energy loss from these cosmic entities. The M87 black hole, already renowned for being the first-ever imaged, continues to captivate scientists, unraveling its secrets one revelation at a time.
