On January 13, 2025, astronomers made significant advancements in imaging distant black holes, revealing the potential for high-resolution visuals of these cosmic phenomena. The study, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, focuses on supermassive black holes located at the centers of galaxies, particularly their colossal jets that can extend millions of light-years and travel near the speed of light.
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), an array of eight ground-based radio telescopes, was utilized to observe the galaxy NGC 1052, situated approximately 60 million light-years from Earth. The supermassive black hole at its center has a mass 150 million times that of the Sun and emits two jets in opposing directions.
Despite initial concerns about the faintness of the galaxy's center, astronomers succeeded in obtaining crucial data. Observations indicated that the region around the black hole emits bright radio waves at a wavelength of one millimeter, which is accessible for EHT imaging.
Furthermore, this area shines even brighter at slightly longer wavelengths, marking it as a prime target for the next generation of EHT, which aims to produce not only clearer images but also video footage of black holes.
The size of the region generating the jets around the black hole resembles the ring surrounding the supermassive black hole M87*, the first black hole to be directly imaged in 2019. Notably, the magnetic field surrounding the black hole in NGC 1052 is 40,000 times stronger than Earth's magnetic field, potentially hindering the accretion of matter and facilitating the launch of powerful jets.