Astronomers Unveil New Way To Map Out Black Holes

Astronomers from the University of Cambridge in the U.K. have developed a new method to map out the surrounding regions of a black hole. Their method is similar to how echolocation is used for navigation.

When cosmic materials fall into a black hole, they produce X-rays that are emitted into space. As these X-rays reach the region surrounding the black hole, they interact with nearby gasses, causing them to reverberate and produce echoes.

Since black holes are known for their immense gravitational pull, their outer regions usually get distorted. This makes it very challenging for astronomers to study and observe these regions.

But, by using the XMM-Newton X-ray observatory of the European Space Agency, a team of astronomers was able to track the echoes produced by the X-ray emissions. Doing so allowed them to map out the black hole’s surrounding region by following the light echoes.

As explained by the astronomers, the method is very similar to how echolocation works. Since sounds travel differently depending on the physical features of an area, reverberations can be used to map out the surroundings.

“Everyone is familiar with how the echo of their voice sounds different when speaking in a classroom compared to a cathedral—this is simply due to the geometry and materials of the rooms, which causes sound to behave and bounce around differently,” the study’s lead author William Alston said in a statement.

“In a similar manner, we can watch how echoes of X-ray radiation propagate in the vicinity of a black hole in order to map out the geometry of a region and the state of a clump of matter before it disappears into the singularity,” he added.

For their study, the astronomers focused on the black hole at the center of a galaxy known as IRAS 13224-3809. As they were mapping the black hole through its X-ray emissions, they were able to observe its corona, which is a hot region of electrons located at the center of the massive cosmic object.

During the course of their study, they noticed how the corona changed in size a few times. They noted that the changes had a direct effect on the light echoes.

“As the corona’s size changes, so does the light echo – a bit like if the cathedral ceiling is moving up and down, changing how the echo of your voice sounds,” William stated.

The findings of the astronomers were presented in a new study published in the journal Nature.