NASA’s Hubble Telescope Discovers Black Hole Triggers Star Eruptions

Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have made a surprising discovery: the jet from a supermassive black hole at the core of M87, a huge galaxy 54 million light years away, seems to cause stars to erupt along its trajectory. Led by researcher Alec Lessing, the team found twice as many novae – explosive events that occur when a white dwarf star in a binary system accumulates too much hydrogen from its companion star – near the jet than elsewhere in the galaxy.

This suggests that the jet is somehow influencing the star systems around it, possibly by “snowplowing” hydrogen fuel onto the white dwarfs or increasing the pressure of light emanating from the jet. The discovery was made possible by Hubble’s unique capabilities, which allowed the team to detect novae against the bright M87 background. Michael Shara of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City was also involved in the research.

Astronomers using Hubble have discovered that the jet emanating from the supermassive black hole at the core of M87, a massive galaxy 54 million light years away, seems to be causing stars to erupt along its trajectory. This is a game-changer in our understanding of the complex interactions between black holes and their host galaxies.

The researchers found twice as many novae (exploding stars) near the jet than elsewhere in the galaxy. This implies that either there are more nova-forming double-star systems near the jet or that these systems erupt more frequently due to some influence from the jet.

One possible explanation is that the jet is “snowplowing” hydrogen fuel onto white dwarfs, causing them to erupt more often. Alternatively, the pressure of light emanating from the jet could be accelerating the mass transfer rate onto the white dwarfs, leading to more frequent eruptions.

This discovery was made possible by Hubble’s unique capabilities, which allowed astronomers to observe M87 with unprecedented clarity and resolution. The telescope’s newer, wider-view cameras were used to count erupting novae over a nine-month period, resulting in the deepest images of M87 ever taken.

As I sit here, surrounded by the dangers of this neighborhood, I’m reminded of the power of science to transport us to other worlds and reveal secrets about the universe. The Hubble Space Telescope has been operating for over three decades and continues to make groundbreaking discoveries that shape our fundamental understanding of the cosmos.