Astronomers utilizing NASA's Chandra X-ray space telescope have observed a significant event involving a supermassive black hole jet from the galaxy Centaurus A (Cen A), located approximately 12 million light-years from Earth. This observation marks a unique instance of a black hole jet colliding with an unidentified object in space, differing from previous encounters documented by astronomers.
The discovery was characterized by a distinct V-shaped source of X-rays, designated as 'C4,' situated near the jet's origin point. The arms of this emission extend roughly 700 light-years, which is about 175 times the distance from the Sun to Proxima Centauri.
Jets emanating from supermassive black holes do not originate from the black holes themselves but from surrounding material. These jets are formed when powerful magnetic fields channel matter towards the poles of the black hole, accelerating particles to near-light speeds. Although the physics behind the jet formation is well-understood, the specific nature of the object impacted by the Cen A jet remains unclear due to its distant location.
This collision is noteworthy as it produced a V-shaped structure, contrasting with previous events that resulted in elliptical formations. The research team intends to investigate the reasons behind this unusual shape using Chandra, the sole X-ray telescope capable of detecting this collision feature.