Scientists confirm that the first black hole ever imaged is actually spinning::The first black hole humanity has ever imaged has also provided us with what researchers are calling “unequivocal evidence” that black holes spin.
The title kind of misses the point: of course it spins; it would be remarkable if it didn’t.
The really interesting bit is how relativistic frame dragging is causing its spin axis to precess.
(Also, the illustration conflicts with the description: it shows the whole accretion disk wobbling instead of just the jets.)
Can you ELI5 relativistic frame dragging and process?
Frame dragging is when matter drags spacetime along with it. Roughly think of a the wake of a boat disturbing other things in the water.
The misalignment of the black holes axis of spin, and the axis of the accretion disk is causing interesting frame dragging effects.
I thought we already knew they spun, given the incredible amount of angular momentum in their accretion disks. Seems like a “duh” thing to prove with image data that the physics data already implied.
I thought so as well but the article says the spin doesn’t match the accretion disc, I’m not sure if that’s s significant aspect of the discovery possibly? I’m not well versed in relativity to be honest
Edit: forgive me, someone below said pretty much this
What’s an accretion disc?
I mean the majority of black holes spin… It’s kinda fundamental to their existance as most things in the universe have motion and when you super compress those things into a black hole, that motion has to go somewhere.
I came here to be excited but the comments seem grumpy and I don’t know any what of the words mean that people are using.
Is there any reason to have ever believed that they didn’t spin?
Plug time:
Can’t wait for Anton on YouTube (Link ) to upload somethin about this.
Man explains things so nicely and so well. Always somethin interesting and it’s less time spent doom scrolling or listening to people yell at each other in comments
This is a confirmation that was needed to accurately calculate the size of the black holes right?
It’s actually Goku gathering energy for a spirit bomb
