Scientists at NASA revealed evidence that demonstrates that M87 contains a supermassive black hole located at its center. The 2.6-billion-Sun-mass void captured scientific interest in universal forces that mold our universe. Scientists employed Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to capture the discovery which delivered crucial information about the concealed gravitational effects that drive space phenomena.
Some observants identify this gravity-warping phenomenon as the “Door to Hell” yet it is known to gravitationally warp space-time. M87 stands as one of the most luminous galaxies in our neighborhood of the universe where it exists 52 million light-years from Earth within the Virgo constellation. The enormous quantity of 100 billion stars makes M87 one of the most fascinating objects for astronomers because its mystifying core and enormous plasma jet at its nuclear center attract their relentless interest.
Scientists made the discovery when WFPC images from HST revealed that numerous stars accumulated densely around M87’s central region indicating their attraction from a supermassive black hole’s gravitational grip. Dr. Tod R. Lauer from the National Optical Astronomy Observatories joined Drs. Sandra M. Faber and C. Roger Lynds for presenting the findings at the 179th meeting of the American Astronomical Society that took place in Atlanta, Georgia.
Scientific knowledge about a substantial black hole existing at M87’s core started forming years ago. A research team which was led by Peter Young before his passing at the California Institute of Technology proposed a similar theory about the black hole in 1978 yet subsequent ground-based observations did not validate the hypothesis. The high-quality images from Hubble bring scientists to their closest point yet in confirming the existence of a massive black hole. The present images strongly support the existence of a black hole but scientists need more spectroscopic data to measure star velocities in orbit. The high-speed motion of stars near the center of Pulsar M87 would both prove the black hole theory and help establish its size measurement.
NASA maintains its pursuit of supermassive black holes because scientists want to gain more understanding about their influence on galaxy formation processes. Scientists intend to reveal cosmic mysteries by investigating both active and dormant galaxies. Scientists have made a substantial breakthrough by finding a black hole in M87 which helps explain both galaxy development patterns and how these space anomalies affect their motion.
