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ScienceQuiet 40h · day 7

Scientists pinpoint when black holes 'burp' jets of material

Researchers identify two distinct phases in black hole feeding cycles that trigger powerful outflows, enabling precise prediction of cosmic events.

newest coverage 1d agosummary written 6d ago14 pieces2 likes & upvotes NewswiresMastodonRedditGoogle NewsHacker News

What to know

  • Supermassive black holes launch jets in two predictable phases: first during high-rate feeding, second when feeding drops to ~2% of maximum capacity.
  • The discovery enables astronomers to precisely forecast jet timing, improving telescope resource allocation and observation planning.
  • The same feeding-rate threshold triggers jets across black holes of vastly different sizes, from stellar-mass to supermassive bodies.

“Sometimes it would happen a year after the black hole destroyed the star, sometimes it would happen three or five years after.”

Dr. Adelle Goodwin, Astrophysicist, Curtin University · Guardian Science ↗

Dr. Adelle Goodwin Astrophysicist, Curtin UniversityDr. Andrew Mummery Researcher, Institute for Advanced StudyDr. Sara Webb Astrophysicist, Swinburne University

Scientists pinpoint when black holes 'burp' jets of material
theguardian.com

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

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  1. background

    Prediction capability enables better telescope resource allocation — The findings allow scientists to precisely predict when jets will be released, narrowing observation windows and freeing up precious telescope time for other observations.

  2. background

    Research identifies two jet-launch phases in black hole feeding — The first jet phase occurs when black holes feed at very high rates. The second occurs hundreds to thousands of days after star destruction, when feeding drops to about 2% of maximum capacity—the same threshold that triggers jets from stellar-mass black holes.

  3. 1

    Goodwin and Mummery publish research on black hole jet timing

    A study published in Nature Astronomy reveals that supermassive black holes fire off powerful jets in two distinct phases during their feeding cycles, regardless of their size. The research used radio telescope observations of 20 tidal disruption events.

    “Black holes are 'actually very messy eaters'—only about half of the star that gets too close will end up being swallowed.”
    — Dr. Adelle Goodwin

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 2 outlets Scientists solve mystery of black hole 'burps'; new study reveals when these cosmic objects launch powerful jets after eating stars

    first by The Times of India, 6d ago · also Guardian Science

    2 more headlines