Black Hole flare Creates Record-Speed Winds

Astronomers have, for the first time, observed the moment a supermassive black hole flare creates a powerful wind blasting into space at very high speeds.

This so-called ultrafast outflow (UFO) reached speeds of 19 percent of the speed of light – about 57,000 kilometers (35,400 miles) per second. While not the fastest outflow ever recorded, this is the first time scientists have watched the start and development of a supermassive black hole flare and the UFO it created.

“We haven’t watched a black hole create winds this quickly before,” says astronomer Liyi Gu of the Space Research Organisation Netherlands (SRON). “For the first time, we’ve seen how a quick burst of X-ray light from a black hole promptly triggers ultra-fast winds, and these winds form in just one day.”

Related: Milky Way Supermassive Black Hole Caught Doing Something Never Seen Before

the galaxy NGC 3783 is a beautiful barred spiral galaxy about 130 million light-years away. It’s positioned so we see it from the side, giving us a clear view of the active supermassive black hole at its center.