Supermassive Black Hole Emits Peculiar X-ray Pulses with Changing Period

A supermassive black hole in the galaxy 1ES 1927+654, approximately 270 million light-years away, exhibits unusual X-ray pulses. These pulses, initially observed with a period of 18 minutes, accelerated to 7 minutes over two years. Astronomers, led by Megan Masterson from MIT, suggest a white dwarf orbiting close to the black hole's event horizon may cause this phenomenon. The white dwarf appears to be shedding outer layers, potentially extending its lifespan. These quasi-periodic oscillations (QPO) are typically seen in smaller stellar-mass black holes within the Milky Way. Detection in a supermassive black hole is a significant achievement. Scientists believe QPOs can help understand how matter falls into black holes and test Einstein's theory of relativity. If the white dwarf is the source, it should also generate gravitational waves detectable by future observatories like ESA's LISA, expected around 2035.