It’s not clear how the black hole’s orientation will affect our galaxy.
An international team of astronomers has reclassified a galaxy after discovering that the supermassive black hole at its center has changed course and is now pointing toward Earth. The galaxy in question was found to be 657 million light years from us and is known as PBC J2333.9-2343.
Dr. Lorena Hernandez said, “We started studying this galaxy because it exhibits strange properties. Our hypothesis is that the relativistic flow of the supermassive black hole has changed its direction, and to confirm this idea we had to make a lot of observations.” Garcia, according to L Royal Astronomical Society (RAS).
In one study, astronomers detailed the changes. According to them, the galaxy was originally classified as a radio galaxy, but scientists realized that the extraterrestrial phenomenon had rotated 90 degrees and was now heading towards the center of the Earth.
This means that the galaxy is now a “bazar”, meaning a galactic point that has a jet point towards Earth. According to the RAS, blazars are high-energy beings and are considered to be one of the most powerful phenomena in the universe.
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Astronomers say the outpouring of material from the black hole has created two large lobes on either side of the galaxy, which are the objects most easily visible when observed by radio waves.
“The fact that we can see that the nucleus is no longer feeding the lobes means they are very old. They are remnants of past activity, while the structures near the core represent smaller and more active jets,” said Hernandez-Garcia.
In the study, scientists said they are currently unsure what caused the change in direction, although some astronomers believe that PBC J2333.9-2343 collided with another galaxy that caused the shift.
It’s also not clear how the black hole’s orientation will affect our galaxy.
