The European Southern Observatory has made a groundbreaking discovery: powerful magnetic fields are swirling around the black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. This was revealed in a new image from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), which captured polarized light emitted by hot glowing gas near the Sagittarius A* black hole.
These magnetic fields are similar to those observed around M87*, the supermassive black hole at the heart of the M87 galaxy, leading scientists to believe that strong magnetic fields may be a common feature of all black holes. Sarah Issaoun of Harvard’s Center for Astrophysics described these magnetic fields as strong, twisted, and organized.
This discovery is significant because nothing, not even light, can escape the gravitational pull of black holes. However, advances in technology have allowed scientists to observe them indirectly by capturing their halo of light produced by the flow of matter and gas they attract and eject. This provides key insights into their behavior.
Angelo Ricarte, a member of Harvard’s Black Hole Initiative and co-leader of the project, explained that by imaging polarized light from hot glowing gas near black holes, scientists can directly infer their structures and strength. Mariafelicia De Laurentis, deputy scientist at EHT and professor at Naples Federico II University, added that these strong magnetic fields observed around M87* and Sagittarius A* may be a universal and fundamental feature of these systems.
The study highlights how much we still have to learn about these mysterious cosmic entities. It also underscores how important it is for scientists to continue working together to push the boundaries of what we can observe and understand about our universe.