Black hole jets can change direction in a similar way to the laser weapon of the Death Star

Scientists in a recent study have come to a conclusion about the unpredictability of jets emitted by black holes. As it turns out, the emissions can change their direction, like the laser in the Death Star.

Here's What We Know

A black hole jet is an ejection of particles and flashes of gamma rays or X-rays. It can destroy life thousands of light years away. Observations of 16 black holes have shown that the direction of the jet can change by an angle of up to 90 degrees.

The researchers studied data from the Chandra telescope of the Very Long Baseline Array radio interferometer to look for gaps in the clouds of gas around black holes. In parallel, they were able to track the changing direction of the jets.

About a third of the jets changed their direction by more than 45 degrees. It took them up to 10 million years. In some cases, the jets turned 90 degrees. The shortest period of change of direction was about 1 million years.

Black hole jets interfere with the merging of gas, making it difficult for new stars to form. Changes in emission directions have consequences for galaxies around black holes.

Source: ScienceAlert