Contrary to popular perception, supermassive black holes, often depicted as cosmic vacuum cleaners, are also powerful energy sources, according to recent scientific findings. These celestial objects, like the one at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, expel jets of material millions of light years long, carrying immense energy and radiation.
Astrophysicist Priyamvada Natarajan from Yale University explains that these jets are a counterintuitive phenomenon, highlighting the complex nature of black holes. Roger Blandford, an astrophysicist and professor at Stanford University, draws a parallel between black holes and nuclear power, emphasizing their potential for both destruction and energy generation.
Blandford and his colleague Roman Znajek developed an explanation for the energy source of these jets, known as the Blandford-Znajek process. Recent telescope images have provided evidence supporting their hypothesis.