The galactic 'heart' containing Earth is bubbling.

New images from the James Webb Space Telescope suggest that what lies at the center of the galaxy containing Earth isn't quite a sleeping monster.

The supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* has long been known as the "monster heart" of the Milky Way galaxy, which contains Earth, and is currently in a state of quiet "hibernation".

However, new observations from the world's most powerful space telescope, the James Webb, developed and primarily operated by NASA, suggest that this "monster" is in a more active state than we previously thought.

The central black hole of the galaxy containing Earth may be far more vibrant than previously thought - AI illustration: Thu Anh

According to Science Alert, observations at two near-infrared wavelengths have recorded cosmic flares of varying brightness and duration emanating from the black hole Sagittarius A*.

These events are incredibly powerful, causing the black hole to be described as bubbling or shooting fireworks into space.

Researchers say the hot gas accretion disk surrounding Sagittarius A* has been producing 5-6 major flares each day, with several smaller explosions in between.

"In our data, we see the brightness constantly changing, bubbling. And then boom! A big burst of light suddenly appears. Then it calms down again," describes lead author Farhad Yusef-Zadeh from Northwestern University (USA).

Researchers admit that they have been unable to find a suitable model to explain these outbreaks.

It seems to have happened randomly and once again shows that this black hole holds more interesting secrets than we thought.

Nevertheless, a plausible scenario was presented in the paper published in the scientific journal Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Researchers believe that two separate processes are creating the light show.

Smaller outbursts may be caused by turbulence within the accretion disk, compressing hot gases, or magnetizing the disk. Such turbulence can produce short bursts of radiation similar to solar flares, which occasionally cause geomagnetic storms on Earth.

Meanwhile, larger explosions may be caused by magnetic field reconnection events. This would occur when two magnetic fields collide, creating streams of bright particles traveling at near the speed of light.

Another surprising finding involved how the bright spots brightened and dimmed when viewed at two different wavelengths.

There is still no clear answer to the origin of this phenomenon, but combined with the aforementioned surprising features, it could serve as a clue to the physical processes taking place in the swirling disk around the black hole.

It also serves as a gateway for humanity to "look" into a world that seemed entirely dark.

Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/trai-tim-thien-ha-chua-trai-dat-dang-sui-bot-172250225072503538.htm