How does the black hole at the center of the Milky Way warp spacetime?

Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, is spinning so fast that it warps the fabric of spacetime around it, according to new data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the VLA (Very Large Array) radio telescope.

Scientists say that the black hole's rotational speed makes it resemble a rugby ball.

Astronomers estimate that most large galaxies, including the Milky Way, have a supermassive black hole at their center. Sagittarius A* has a mass about 4 million times that of the Sun.

To understand the behavior of black holes, scientists generally look at two key properties: their mass and their rotational speed (spin). However, previous studies of Sagittarius A* have reached varying conclusions about its rotational speed, with some suggesting it isn't spinning at all and others suggesting it's spinning at a maximum speed.

WHAT DID THE NEW RESEARCH SHOW?

Using X-ray and radio wave data, the researchers studied how matter around the black hole moves.

The results show that Sagittarius A* is rotating at 60 percent of its maximum possible angular velocity and has 90 percent of its maximum angular momentum.

This suggests that the black hole strongly warps spacetime and affects the matter around it.

In a drawing shared with the research, the space-time surrounding the black hole is depicted as an oval structure. The yellow regions represent gas drifting toward the black hole. The region within that oval, but outside the event horizon, is called the "cavity." The blue dots represent jets ejected from the black hole's poles at speeds close to the speed of light.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Spinning supermassive black holes can interact with the matter around them, creating plasma jets.

While Sgr A* has been relatively quiet for the last few thousand years, this could change if the density of matter around it increases, and the black hole could become active again.