Astronomy Picture of the Day - Swirling Magnetic Field around Our Galaxy's Central Black Hole

NASA ^ | 1 Apr, 2024 | Image Credit: EHT Collaboration

[MtnClimber]

Explanation: What's happening to the big black hole in the center of our galaxy? It is sucking in matter from a swirling disk -- a disk that is magnetized, it has now been confirmed. Specifically, the black hole's accretion disk has recently been seen to emit polarized light, radiation frequently associated with a magnetized source. Pictured here is a close-up of Sgr A*, our Galaxy's central black hole, taken by radio telescopes around the world participating in the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration. Superposed are illustrative curved lines indicating polarized light likely emitted from swirling magnetized gas that will soon fall into the 4+ million mass central black hole. The central part of this image is likely dark because little light-emitting gas is visible between us and the dark event horizon of the black hole. Continued EHT monitoring of this and M87's central black hole may yield new clues about the gravity of black holes and how infalling matter creates disks and jets.

[MtnClimber]

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For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

[MtnClimber]

[MtnClimber]

Pinging the APOD list

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

[goodnesswins]

Well...no wonder the world is spinning...

[Red Badger]

Iron Man
Black Sabbath
Track 4 on Paranoid
Produced by

Rodger Bain

The guitar riff on this song is considered one of the most famous in rock history, and it is what the entire song was written around. And no, it’s not related to the Marvel… Read More
Sep. 18, 1970

Iron Man

[Intro]
I am Iron Man

[Verse 1]
Has he lost his mind?
Can he see or is he blind?
Can he walk at all
Or if he moves, will he fall?

[Verse 2]
Is he alive or dead?
Has he thoughts within his head?
We’ll just pass him there
Why should we even care?

[Instrumental Bridge]

[Verse 3]
He was turned to steel
In the great magnetic field
When he travelled time
For the future of mankind

[Chorus]
Nobody wants him
He just stares at the world
Planning his vengeance
That he will soon unfurl

[Instrumental Bridge]

[Verse 4]
Now the time is here
For Iron Man to spread fear
Vengeance from the grave
Kills the people he once saved

[Chorus]
Nobody wants him
They just turn their heads
Nobody helps him
Now he has his revenge

[Guitar Solo]

[Verse 5]
Heavy boots of lead
Fills his victims full of dread
Running as fast as they can
Iron Man lives again

[Instrumental Outro]

[Jamestown1630]

It made me dizzy...

[MtnClimber]

I am familiar with the song “Iron Man”. I can name it in two notes.

[telescope115]

The amount of resolution needed to image that is incredible.

[DannyTN]

Are you sure that's not an Ann Margaret hair flip?

[MtnClimber]

It could be this:

[MikelTackNailer]

Thank you both. Beautiful women are always appreciated and you reminded me that they’ll always be more mysterious than the vast secrets of the universe.

[DannyTN]

It’s a good universe!!!

[dagunk]

Lessee here...
Huge magnetic field - Check.
Ionized gases conduct electricity - Check
Gases swirling across this big magnetic field - Check

One Humungus Big Generator.
Can we tap it for power??

[norwaypinesavage]

Thanks, it’s interesting that the image is not precisely circular, that the swirl lines are not symmetrical, and the dark part is not in the middle. There should be some clues there, but I don’t have the slightest idea of what they could mean.