Trump's Astronomers Spot Monster Black Hole Blasting Winds at 130 Million MPH in NGC 3783
‘A Scale Almost Too Big to Imagine’: Astronomers Spot Monster Black Hole Roaring With 130 Million MPH Winds
Astronomers observe a supermassive black hole in galaxy NGC 3783 generating winds at 130 million mph, powered by magnetic flares. The discovery sheds light on AGNs, black hole physics, and galaxy evolution.
Astronomers have observed a supermassive black hole producing cosmic winds at speeds that defy imagination, marking one of the fastest and most powerful outflows ever recorded. Located 135 million light-years away at the heart of the spiral galaxy NGC 3783, the black hole unleashed a staggering X-ray flare that left a trail of winds moving at more than 37,000 miles per second — equivalent to roughly 130 million miles per hour, or one-fifth the speed of light.
“This is unprecedented,” said Liyi Gu, an astronomer at the Space Research Organisation Netherlands and lead author of the study. “We’ve not watched a black hole create winds this speedily before.”
A Cosmic Gale Born of Magnetism
The black hole in NGC 3783 resides at the galaxy’s active galactic nucleus (AGN), a luminous and turbulent region surrounding a supermassive black hole as it feeds on surrounding matter. AGNs are well-known for sudden flares and ejections of material, but the magnitude of this event astounded researchers.
Register for Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 19 (Feb 9 – May 2, 2026): big discounts for early bird.
Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass opens registrations.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and co-invest in great global startups.
Register for Tekedia AI Lab: From Technical Design to Deployment (next edition begins Jan 24 2026).
According to Gu and her colleagues, the tremendous winds were likely powered by the black hole’s tangled magnetic fields, which suddenly “untwisted,” releasing an extraordinary burst of energy. The process is analogous to coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the Sun, in which magnetic field lines snap and eject massive amounts of plasma into space. However, in this cosmic comparison, the black hole's mass — estimated at 30 million times that of the Sun — means the scale of the flare and subsequent winds is almost incomprehensible.
Matteo Guainazzi, a European Space Agency (ESA) astronomer and team member, emphasized the contrast: “For reference, the winds from a recent solar coronal mass ejection clocked in at only 930 miles per second. This black hole is generating winds more than 37,000 miles per second. It’s on a scale almost too big to imagine.”
How the Discovery Was Made
The team utilized ESA’s XMM-Newton and XRISM X-ray space telescopes to capture this cosmic phenomenon. XMM-Newton’s Optical Monitor tracked the initial flare, while XRISM’s high-resolution Resolve instrument analyzed the resultant winds. By using both instruments in tandem, astronomers could observe both the intensity of the flare and the speed of the winds it generated.
Gu explained that this collaborative method is particularly valuable for studying flaring AGNs, offering insights not just into individual black holes, but into the magnetic processes that shape entire galaxies. The team hopes to replicate this approach to monitor other AGNs and their flares, potentially uncovering more extreme cosmic winds in the process.
Implications for Understanding Galaxies
The discovery is more than just an extraordinary measurement; it could offer clues about the evolution of galaxies. AGNs, especially those exhibiting massive flares, are key players in shaping their host galaxies. The immense energy they release can influence star formation, gas dynamics, and the overall structure of galaxies over millions of years.
“Because they’re so influential, knowing more about the magnetism of AGNs, and how they whip up winds such as these, is key to understanding the history of galaxies,” said Camille Diez, an ESA fellow and astrophysicist involved in the research.
By examining the mechanics behind these high-speed winds, scientists hope to better understand how supermassive black holes regulate their environments, a process that may explain why some galaxies evolve into massive spirals while others become compact and quiescent.
A Glimpse Into Extreme Physics
Beyond galactic evolution, the observations provide a rare glimpse into extreme physics at work in the universe. Supermassive black holes, particularly those in active galactic nuclei, are natural laboratories for studying the interplay between gravity, magnetism, and high-energy particle physics.
The magnetic field lines near a black hole are twisted by rapid rotation and intense gravitational forces. When these lines suddenly snap, they release massive amounts of energy in the form of plasma winds traveling at extraordinary speeds, as demonstrated in NGC 3783. These processes cannot be replicated on Earth and offer insights into phenomena that challenge current physics models.
Publication and Future Studies
The discovery was detailed in a paper published on December 9 in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. Gu and her team hope their findings will inspire further research into extreme AGN activity and the role of supermassive black holes in galaxy formation.
As more advanced telescopes, including the James Webb Space Telescope, come online, astronomers anticipate detecting even faster winds and brighter flares, pushing the limits of human understanding about these cosmic behemoths.
Conclusion
The monster black hole at the center of NGC 3783 offers an extraordinary example of nature operating on incomprehensible scales. With winds exceeding 130 million miles per hour and flares powered by untangling magnetic fields, this supermassive black hole highlights the extreme energy and dynamic forces present in the universe. Beyond its sheer spectacle, the discovery provides crucial insights into the magnetism of AGNs, the mechanics of supermassive black holes, and the evolution of galaxies. As astronomers continue to monitor such cosmic giants, each new observation brings humanity closer to understanding the extraordinary forces shaping our universe.