Black hole winds reach 300,000 light-years, 100 times more powerful than thought
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Winds from supermassive black holes carry energy 100 times greater than previously estimated and extend up to 300,000 light-years, according to researchers led by Tohoku University. The discovery, based on X-ray observations of quasar H1821+643 by the XRISM satellite, shows that these outflows shape gas across entire galaxy clusters. The energy involved is equivalent to several billion supernova explosions, the team reports in Nature Astronomy.
XRISM Observations
The team used the X-ray astronomy satellite XRISM to observe quasar H1821+643 in the constellation Draco, 3.4 billion light-years from Earth. They analyzed emission lines of iron ions to precisely measure gas motion. High-precision data revealed that the hot gas around the black hole is violently turbulent and disperses over a wide area, extending far beyond the host galaxy.
Unprecedented Power and Scale
The winds reach distances of about 300,000 light-years, while the turbulence energy is roughly 100 times greater than previous estimates, equivalent to several billion supernova explosions. This demonstrates that supermassive black holes are key drivers of gas flows and energy transport, influencing the broader cosmic environment through powerful shockwaves.
What's Next
Future observations with XRISM are expected to further clarify how black holes shape their surroundings and circulate matter. It remains unclear whether similar turbulence occurs in other galaxy clusters and how it affects star formation over cosmic time.
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Black hole winds reach 300,000 light-years, 100 times more powerful than thought
