New EHT Images Reveal Unexpected Polarization Flips at M87*
Hey, Space Placers!
New images from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration have revealed a dynamic environment with changing polarization patterns in the magnetic fields of supermassive black hole M87*. As shown in the images above, while M87*’s magnetic fields appeared to spiral one direction in 2017, they settled in 2018 and reversed direction in 2021. The cumulative effects of this polarization change over time suggests that M87* and its surrounding environment are constantly evolving. Credit: EHT Collaboration
FROM THE HARVARD PRESS RELEASE:
"The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration has unveiled new, detailed images of the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy M87- known as M87*- revealing a dynamic environment with changing polarization patterns near the black hole. Additionally, the scientists found the first signatures of the extended jet emission near the jet base, which connects to the ring around M87*, in EHT data. These new observations, published today Astronomy & Astrophysics, are providing new insight into how matter and energy behave in the extreme environments surrounding black holes."
The evolution of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) has been a triumph of astronomical technology as has the ability to image the jet with amateur telescopes.
EHT has also been imaging our Milky Way's own super massive black hole, Sgr A*.
Sky Guy in VA
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