Hubble Discovers Black Hole Jets Triggering Stellar Eruptions in M87
New findings reveal that the plasma jet from M87's supermassive black hole causes nearby stars to erupt more frequently.
- The Hubble Space Telescope has observed twice as many novae near the plasma jet of the supermassive black hole in galaxy M87 compared to other regions.
- These novae are white dwarfs in binary systems, which erupt when their hydrogen layers explode.
- Researchers are unsure of the exact mechanism, but suspect the jet may be accelerating hydrogen delivery to the white dwarfs.
- The study, published on arXiv, highlights a previously unknown interaction between black hole jets and their surrounding stellar environments.
- This discovery underscores Hubble's unique capability to observe deep space phenomena that ground-based telescopes cannot resolve.
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