An international team of astronomers, led by SRON, discovered a rapid explosion of matter around the supermassive black hole NGC 3783 at speeds of up to 20 % the speed of light. The study was published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Hubble optical image of NGC 3783 overlaid with the XRISM/Resolve X ray spectrum of its supermassive black hole. Image Credit: Hubble (NASA), and XRISM (JAXA/NASA/ESA)
During a ten-day observation period, primarily utilizing the XRISM space telescope, researchers observed the formation and acceleration of this phenomenon. Scientists frequently discover that these outbursts receive power from intense radiation; however, in this instance, the most probable cause appears to be an abrupt alteration in the magnetic field, resembling bursts occurring on the Sun that generate solar flares.
Although supermassive black holes are recognized for flickering in X-rays, this marks the initial occasion when astronomers have distinctly observed a high-velocity ejection being accelerated throughout an X-ray burst. This was disclosed through the most extensive continuous observation that XRISM has conducted to date.
Throughout this ten-day timeframe, scientists observed fluctuations in X-ray luminosity, particularly within the softer X-ray spectrum. These alterations, including the outburst spanning three days, represent typical behavior for supermassive black holes.
Twenty Percent Light Speed
Nevertheless, what distinguishes this outburst as exceptional is the concurrent expulsion of gas from the black hole's accretion disk (the rotating disk of material circling the black hole). This gas underwent ejection at extraordinarily high velocities, achieving speeds up to 60,000 kilometers per second, equivalent to 20 % of light speed.
Magnetic Reconnection
The gas seemed to originate from a location approximately fifty times the black hole's diameter away. Within this chaotic region, gravitational and magnetic forces engage in extreme interactions. The authors suggest the ejection resulted from a mechanism termed magnetic reconnection: an instantaneous restructuring of magnetic fields that discharges enormous quantities of energy.
Similar to Coronal Mass Ejections
This is a unique opportunity to study the launch mechanism of ultrafast outflows. The data suggest that the acceleration of the outflow is driven by magnetic forces, similar to coronal mass ejections from the Sun.
Liyi Gu, Study Lead Author and Scientist, SRON
A coronal mass ejection occurs when substantial masses of heated solar plasma are launched into space. A supermassive black hole can perform similarly, except these explosions possess ten billion times greater power, overshadowing any phenomena users have observed on the Sun.
Gu and colleagues suggest that the documented black hole event, like its solar equivalent, receives fuel from instantaneous magnetic energy releases. This differs from prevalent theories, indicating that black holes eject material through powerful radiation or excessive heat.
The findings provide fresh understanding regarding how black holes not only draw matter inward, but under specific circumstances, also propel it outward into space. This mechanism, termed feedback, may serve a crucial function in galactic growth and evolution over time, affecting surrounding stars and gas near the black hole and contributing to shaping the universe that users observe currently.
This discovery emphasizes the significance of international cooperation among space agencies and research organizations. Seven space missions simultaneously observed the identical target: XRISM directed the campaign, with assistance from NuSTAR, Hubble, Chandra, Swift, NICER, and ESA's XMM-Newton.
Journal Reference:
Gu, L. et al. (2025) Delving into the depths of NGC 3783 with XRISM. Astronomy & Astrophysics. DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202557189. https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2025/12/aa57189-25/aa57189-25.html.