Using NASA’s Swift spacecraft, astronomers saw a supermassive black hole in NGC 1275 flare in X-rays and, about 300 days later, produce radio jets. They estimate its mass at between 100 million and 1 billion times the Sun.
01Summary
- 01The black hole sits at the centre of NGC 1275 in the Perseus Cluster, around 225 light-years away.
- 02The strongest X-ray flare was seen in February 2023 and lasted less than 60 days, with two 5-day bursts.
- 03The flare doubled the X-ray brightness of the active galactic nucleus and was not thought to be caused by a tidal disruption event.
- 04The team estimates the black hole’s mass at between 100 million and 1 billion solar masses.
- 05Researchers found tentative evidence of about a 300-day delay between the X-ray flare and the radio emission from the jet.
02Why it matters
The findings help astronomers understand how matter falling into a black hole is linked to the jets it launches. That could improve knowledge of how black holes affect their host galaxies and star formation.
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