Black Hole Wind Clears the Galactic Center ⚡ экспресс
The supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, Sagittarius A*, was long thought to be quiescent, yet theoretical models predicted the existence of an active wind. Using ALMA observations with record depth (brightness temperature ~30 mK) and angular resolution better than 0.25 arcseconds, a large conical cavity was discovered in the cold molecular gas surrounding Sgr A*. The structure stretches at least 1 parsec and has an opening angle of about 45°. The morphology and energetics of this outflow indicate active sweeping of gas by a hot wind from the black hole's accretion disk. The results confirm the long-awaited wind and provide a key to understanding the feedback between the black hole and the galaxy.
In the center of our Galaxy lurks a black hole named Sagittarius A*. For decades, astronomers searched for its 'breath' — ejections of matter — but to no avail. Then the ALMA telescope spotted, in cold hydrogen, a giant cone-shaped cavity blown by the wind from the black hole. The scale is staggering: the cavity is over three light-years long, and the angle is almost 45 degrees.
The speed of this wind reaches tens of thousands of kilometers per second.
Now it’s clear how black holes run the show in galaxies: they don’t just devour matter, they also dictate where new worlds can emerge.
🎯 Although black holes are famous for sucking everything in, they can also 'exhale' — flinging matter out as hot wind.