Earth and Space

Windy black holes

Stories from Physics for 11-14 14-16 IOP RESOURCES

Scientists have observed incredibly strong ‘winds’ emanating from black holes. The ultra-fast outflows are emitted from the accretion disc of material that orbits a black hole and have been measured to reach velocities of up to a quarter of the speed of light. The flows absorb X-rays emitted from the black hole and are heated to millions of degrees.

References

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