Weird Energy Beam Just Left A Galaxy Travelling At Five Times the Speed of Light And Hubble Caught It

Please welcome to the stage a brilliant illusionist. An energy beam that emerges from galaxy M87 like a toothpick in a martini olive is performing the greatest magic trick: it looks to be Traveling faster than the speed of light.

Please welcome to the stage a brilliant illusionist. An energy beam that emerges from galaxy M87 like a toothpick in a martini olive is performing the greatest magic trick: it looks to be Traveling faster than the speed of light.

In reality, about five times quicker, as measured by the Hubble Space Telescope. This phenomenon was initially noticed in 1995 in the galaxy M87, and has subsequently been spotted in several other galaxies. It may make you doubt your entire perception of reality. No object can exceed the cosmic speed limit, correct? You cannot simply disregard the rules of physics… can you?Stop reading if you wish to simply see the illusion from your audience seat. Aside from that, I invite you backstage for a glimpse at how the trick works and how it helps scientists comprehend the fate of entire galaxies.

Are there blobs that Travel faster than the speed of light?

Since 1918, when astronomer Heber Curtis observed a beam of light associated to the galaxy, we have been aware of the plasma jet emanating from the center of M87. To be seen from such a great distance, it had to be almost 6000 light years in length.

As contemporary astronomers have discovered, the vast majority of galaxies have a core black hole that periodically attracts stars and gas clouds. When gas begins to spiral down a drain, it warms up and magnetic fields concentrate a portion of it into plasma jets. These jets launch at speeds close to, but not exceeding, the speed of light.

Uncertainty in the cosmos: Is the speed of light truly constant?

If you pointed a telescope towards M87 in the sky, you would see that this plasma lance is awry. Instead of pointing directly towards us, it is slanted slightly to the right.

Imagine a single incandescent ball of plasma beginning at the base of this route and generating a beam of light that travels towards Earth in order to comprehend the optical illusion. Now wait a decade. During this period, the blob has approached at a significant fraction of the speed of light. This provides the photons released from this latter place a few light-year head start on their journey to Earth.

Comparing the first and second photographs from Earth’s perspective, it appears like the blob has drifted to the right across the sky. However, because the second location is likewise closer to us, its light has Traveled a shorter distance. In other words, it appears to have reached there faster than it actually did, as though the blob spent those 10 years Traveling at an absurd rate.

One of a number

According to Eileen Meyer of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, the jet from M87 is more than a novelty.

Outflows of energy from huge black holes can halt or restart the birth of stars in galaxies throughout the cosmos. However, it is unknown how these outflows function or how much energy they contain.

It is rare for distant objects like galaxies to undergo rapid alteration, but jets like the one in M87 are able to do so by appearing to move faster than light. This allows astronomers to accurately compute the velocity of the plasma and, consequently, the strength of the activity. M87 is distinctive because, compared to other galaxies, it is quite close and easy to observe. Using Hubble photos of the jet taken over a four-year period, astronomers were able to see this plasma ripple in 1999. Meyer expanded this to 13 years of photographs in 2013, and as if things weren’t complicated enough, it looked that the plasma was also moving in corkscrew-like spirals. oser at a significant percentage of the speed of light. This provides the photons released from this latter place a few light-year head start on their journey to Earth.

Comparing the first and second photographs from Earth’s perspective, it appears like the blob has drifted to the right across the sky. However, because the second location is likewise closer to us, its light has Traveled a shorter distance. In other words, it appears to have reached there faster than it actually did, as though the blob spent those 10 years Traveling at an absurd rate.

Fresh results from Meyer, now being prepared for publication, extend that baseline again to a total of more than two decades and may offer new surprises.