Tour: Black Holes Can Cook for Themselves, Chandra Study Shows
(Credit: NASA/CXC/A. Hobart)
[Runtime: 01:46]

With closed-captions (at YouTube)

Astronomers have taken a crucial step in showing that the most massive black holes in the universe can create their own meals. Data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Very Large Telescope, an optical light telescope in Chile, provide new evidence that outbursts from black holes can cool down gas to feed themselves.

This study was based on observations of seven clusters of galaxies. The centers of galaxy clusters contain the universe’s most massive galaxies, which harbor huge black holes with masses ranging from millions to tens of billions of times that of the Sun. When feasting on gas these black holes power outbursts of particles in the form of jets.

The results support a theoretical model that astronomers have that shows that outbursts from the black holes trigger hot gas to cool and form narrow filaments of warm gas. Turbulence in the gas also plays an important role in this triggering process. According to this model, some of the warm gas in these filaments should then flow into the centers of the galaxies to feed the black holes, causing an outburst. The outburst causes more gas to cool and feed the black holes, leading to further outbursts.

This result also provides new understanding of these gas-filled filaments, which are important not just for feeding black holes but also for causing new stars to form.

Quick Look: Black Holes Can Cook for Themselves, Chandra Study Shows
(Credit: NASA/CXC/A. Hobart)
[Runtime: 00:45]

With narration (video above with voiceover)

Black holes are capable of feeding themselves, according to a new study.

By regulating the amount of digestible material, black holes control their meals.

This discovery was made using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and optical telescopes.

These results help us better understand how black holes affect their surroundings.