A supermassive black hole located at the center of our galaxy is spinning so fast that it warps space-time and takes the shape of a soccer ball.
The black hole, called Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), is located 26,670 light years (32.2 million miles) from Earth.
Spacetime combines the three dimensions of space with the fourth dimension of time and when accelerated, it acts like a giant trampoline, bending around the black hole and crushing it until it takes on a more oval shape.
Data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the National Science Foundation’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) were used to reveal the black hole’s estimated mass and measure how fast it was spinning.
NASA released an illustration showing the cross section of the football-shaped supermassive black hole surrounded by swirling material.
The researchers used a new method, called the “outflow method,” which analyzed X-ray and radio data and combined findings from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). from the National Science Foundation.
The outflow method revealed for the first time a more precise estimate of the black hole’s mass and its rotation speed.
The outflow method determines the relationship between the rotation speed of the black hole and its mass, the properties of the matter located near the black hole and its outflow properties.
The collimated flow (particles emitted by the black hole) produces radio waves, and the gas disk surrounding the black hole is responsible for the emission of X-rays.
The researchers found that SGR A* rotates at an angular velocity (how fast an object rotates) that is about 60 percent of the maximum possible value and an angular momentum of 90 percent, according to their study published in Oxford Academic.
An example of angular momentum would be when a figure skater brings his arms and legs closer to his body while spinning, causing him to spin faster while maintaining the same momentum.
Sgr A* rotates at an angular velocity of 60 percent of the maximum quantity and 90 percent of the angular momentum.
“Black holes have two fundamental properties: their mass (how much they weigh) and their spin (how fast they spin),” NASA explained.
“Determining either of these two values tells scientists a lot about any black hole and how it behaves.”
NASA released an illustration showing the cross section of the football-shaped supermassive black hole surrounded by swirling material.
The black sphere in the center of the illustration represents the event horizon, an area where nothing can escape, not even light.
“Looking at the spinning black hole from the side, as shown in this illustration, the space-time around it is shaped like a soccer ball. “The faster you spin, the flatter the ball will be,” NASA said.
In the past, astronomers estimated the rotation speed of Sgr A*, but reported that the supermassive black hole was not spinning at all or spinning at almost the maximum speed of 186,000 miles (300,000 km) per second.
“Our work may help resolve the question of how fast our galaxy’s supermassive black hole spins,” said Ruth Daly of Penn State University, lead author of the study.
“Our results indicate that Sgr A* rotates very rapidly, which is interesting and has far-reaching implications.”
There is a supermassive black hole at the center of each galaxy, whose mass is hundreds of thousands to billions of times the mass of the Sun.
According to NASA, the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole, Sgr A*, is four million times the mass of the Sun.
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“A spinning black hole is like a rocket on its launch pad,” said study co-author Biny Sebastian from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada.
“Once the material gets close enough, it’s like someone fueled the rocket and pressed the ‘launch’ button.”
The spin speed of a black hole can provide an important source of energy by producing collimated flows, but the researchers revealed that if the material properties and the intensity of the magnetic field near Sgr A* change, “the spin of the black hole could drive more powerful outputs.’
The material could be emitted from gas or debris released by an exploding star if it gets too close to the black hole.
“We have a special view of Sgr A* because it is the closest supermassive black hole to us,” said co-author Anan Lu of McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
“Although it is quiet now, our work shows that in the future it will give an incredibly powerful boost to the surrounding matter.
“That could happen a thousand or a million years from now, or it could happen in our lifetimes.”