Astronomers Capture a "Secret Flash" Revealing What Happens Around a Giant Black Hole

A team of astronomers has managed to observe unprecedented details about the halo surrounding a supermassive black hole, after using the ALMA telescope in Chile and taking advantage of the "gravitational lensing" phenomenon that magnified the image of the quasar RXJ1131-1231 threefold.

The surprise came when scientists recorded an unexpected flash in the millimeter range, which is typically associated with cold gas and dust. However, the analysis revealed that the radiation originated from a hot magnetic region in the shape of a ring surrounding the black hole, marking the first time researchers have obtained direct evidence that these emissions are linked to the intense activity near the event horizon.

This discovery opens new horizons for understanding how black holes operate and studying the behavior of matter and energy in the most extreme environments in the universe.