Milky Way's supermassive black hole has huge bubbles around it, scientists explain why

The supermassive black hole sitting at the center of the Milky Way has again come to light after a new study found that the powerful jets spewing out of it have created two massive bubbles extending far above and below our galaxy. Measuring about 36,000 light-years tall and 45,600 light-years wide, the bubbles were discovered in 2020 using the X-ray telescope eRosita and have been a matter of debate among astronomers ever since. According to the researchers, who published their findings in Nature Astronomy, the black hole started spewing the jets about 2.6 million years ago which went on to last about 1,00,000 years.

What jets do black holes emit and how are they caused?

Black holes are entities that have an enormous amount of gravitational force owing to which nothing can escape their influence, not even light. However, previous studies have found that when a black hole gobbles up materials around it, their strong magnetic fields and powerful spins create pairs of high-energy jets of matter which get spewed out in opposite directions at near-light speed. 

After conducting the recent study, the experts are convinced that the Fermi bubbles which were discovered in 2010 using NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope originated from the same jet of energy from this supermassive black hole. 

Significance of the study

Astronomer Mateusz Ruszkowski, a co-author of the study said as per SciTech Daily, "Our findings are important in the sense that we need to understand how black holes interact with the galaxies that they are inside, because this interaction allows these black holes to grow in a controlled fashion as opposed to grow uncontrollably". He added that believing in the formation of Fermi or eRosita bubbles (named after the telescopes that found them) from a supermassive black hole can answer "profound questions" about these entities. In addition to this, the latest findings might reveal secrets about the evolution of the Milky Way's supermassive black hole and how it influenced our galaxy over billions of years, Space.com reported.  

Image: ESA