New Study Shows Black Holes Prepare and Eat Their Own Dinner

It’s no secret that black holes are some of the weirdest objects in space. Their disks are fluffy like cake, and diving into one is both interesting and terrifying. Now, a group of astronomers used data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Very Large Telescope to show that black holes can cook their own meals. 

No, really. According to a new scientific model produced in the study, which was led by Valeria Olivares from the University of Santiago de Chile, black holes are surrounded by gas of varying temperatures. Black holes consume the warm gas, which causes them to have what the researchers refer to as an “outburst.” The outburst cools the hotter gas nearby, which then allows the cycle to repeat itself. 

Here’s how it works. In the above image, the black holes are the bright white spots in the center of the gas clouds. The purple cloud represents the hot gases while the pink veins—which researchers call “filaments”—show the warm gas. The black hole eats the warm gas by drawing it in. This causes a reaction in the black hole that shoots jets into the gas cloud. These jets cool down the purple cloud to create new pink veins. The process then repeats time and again. 

The researchers note that turbulence in the gas clouds also plays an important role in the process. In this context, turbulence is defined as “the disordered, irregular motion of matter, so complex as to defy description except in a statistical manner.” 

Black holes and gas clouds

Previously, researchers had seen black holes, gas clouds, and gas-filled filaments but were unsure about their relationship to one another. The new model helps answer that question by showing that all three phenomena are linked. The black hole eats the filaments and uses them to generate a reaction that cools the gas and creates new filaments. 

It also helps researchers better understand other parts of the universe. For example, the relationship between black holes and their gas clouds shares some similarities to jellyfish galaxies. Jellyfish galaxies are noted for their jellyfish-like appearance that is caused by gas being stripped away from the galaxy as it floats through the cosmos. Researchers say the similarities are unexpected and may help solve even more mysteries about space. 

In addition, the model helps researchers better understand the warm gas-filled filaments, which can help better understand how stars form. In a previous study, researchers found that jets from black holes cool the hot gas. Cold, dense gas is where stars are born, so the logic is that black holes help create the correct environment for star formation.