By analyzing a supercomputer simulation of gas flowing into a black hole, the team finds they can reproduce a range of important X-ray features long observed in active black holes. Jeremy Schnittman, an astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., led the research.
Black holes are the densest objects known. Stellar black holes form when massive stars run out of fuel and collapse, crushing up to 20 times the sun's mass into compact objects less than 75 miles (120 kilometers) wide.
Gas falling toward a black hole initially orbits around it and then accumulates into a flattened disk. The gas stored in this disk gradually spirals inward and becomes greatly compressed and heated as it nears the center, ultimately reaching temperatures up to 20 million degrees Fahrenheit (12 million C), or some 2,000 times hotter than the sun's surface. It glows brightly in low-energy, or soft, X-rays.
For more than 40 years, however, observations show that black holes also produce considerable amounts of \"hard\" X-rays, light with energy tens to hundreds of times greater than soft X-rays. This higher-energy light implies the presence of correspondingly hotter gas, with temperatures reaching billions of degrees.
The new study involves a detailed computer simulation that simultaneously tracked the fluid, electrical and magnetic properties of the gas while also taking into account Einstein's theory of relativity. Using this data, the scientists developed tools to track how X-rays were emitted, absorbed, and scattered in and around the disk.
The study demonstrates for the first time a direct connection between magnetic turbulence in the disk, the formation of a billion-degree corona above and below the disk, and the production of hard X-rays around an actively \"feeding\" black hole.
Watch this video on YouTube.", "items": [], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 345574, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11206/#media_group_345574", "widget": "Video player", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "This animation of supercomputer data takes you to the inner zone of the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Gas heated to 20 million degrees F as it spirals toward the black hole glows in low-energy, or soft, X-rays. Just before the gas plunges to the center, its orbital motion is approaching the speed of light. X-rays up to hundreds of times more powerful (\"harder\") than those in the disk arise from the corona, a region of tenuous and much hotter gas around the disk. Coronal temperatures reach billions of degrees. The event horizon is the boundary where all trajectories, including those of light, must go inward. Nothing, not even light, can pass outward across the event horizon and escape the black hole.
Music: \"Lost in Space\" by Lars Leonhard, courtesy of artist.
For complete transcript, click here.", "items": [ { "id": 307936, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468347, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Black_Hole_Sim_Still.png", "filename": "Black_Hole_Sim_Still.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data takes you to the inner zone of the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Gas heated to 20 million degrees F as it spirals toward the black hole glows in low-energy, or soft, X-rays. Just before the gas plunges to the center, its orbital motion is approaching the speed of light. X-rays up to hundreds of times more powerful (\"harder\") than those in the disk arise from the corona, a region of tenuous and much hotter gas around the disk. Coronal temperatures reach billions of degrees. The event horizon is the boundary where all trajectories, including those of light, must go inward. Nothing, not even light, can pass outward across the event horizon and escape the black hole.Music: \"Lost in Space\" by Lars Leonhard, courtesy of artist.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307938, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468349, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Black_Hole_Sim_Still_thm.png", "filename": "Black_Hole_Sim_Still_thm.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data takes you to the inner zone of the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Gas heated to 20 million degrees F as it spirals toward the black hole glows in low-energy, or soft, X-rays. Just before the gas plunges to the center, its orbital motion is approaching the speed of light. X-rays up to hundreds of times more powerful (\"harder\") than those in the disk arise from the corona, a region of tenuous and much hotter gas around the disk. Coronal temperatures reach billions of degrees. The event horizon is the boundary where all trajectories, including those of light, must go inward. Nothing, not even light, can pass outward across the event horizon and escape the black hole.Music: \"Lost in Space\" by Lars Leonhard, courtesy of artist.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 80, "height": 40, "pixels": 3200 } }, { "id": 307937, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468348, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Black_Hole_Sim_Still_web.jpg", "filename": "Black_Hole_Sim_Still_web.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data takes you to the inner zone of the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Gas heated to 20 million degrees F as it spirals toward the black hole glows in low-energy, or soft, X-rays. Just before the gas plunges to the center, its orbital motion is approaching the speed of light. X-rays up to hundreds of times more powerful (\"harder\") than those in the disk arise from the corona, a region of tenuous and much hotter gas around the disk. Coronal temperatures reach billions of degrees. The event horizon is the boundary where all trajectories, including those of light, must go inward. Nothing, not even light, can pass outward across the event horizon and escape the black hole.Music: \"Lost in Space\" by Lars Leonhard, courtesy of artist.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 307927, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468350, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/11206_BH_Xray_Sim_H264_Best_1920x1080_29.97.mov", "filename": "11206_BH_Xray_Sim_H264_Best_1920x1080_29.97.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data takes you to the inner zone of the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Gas heated to 20 million degrees F as it spirals toward the black hole glows in low-energy, or soft, X-rays. Just before the gas plunges to the center, its orbital motion is approaching the speed of light. X-rays up to hundreds of times more powerful (\"harder\") than those in the disk arise from the corona, a region of tenuous and much hotter gas around the disk. Coronal temperatures reach billions of degrees. The event horizon is the boundary where all trajectories, including those of light, must go inward. Nothing, not even light, can pass outward across the event horizon and escape the black hole.Music: \"Lost in Space\" by Lars Leonhard, courtesy of artist.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307942, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468359, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/G2013-023_Black_Hole_Xray_Sim_FINAL_appletv_subtitles.m4v", "filename": "G2013-023_Black_Hole_Xray_Sim_FINAL_appletv_subtitles.m4v", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data takes you to the inner zone of the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Gas heated to 20 million degrees F as it spirals toward the black hole glows in low-energy, or soft, X-rays. Just before the gas plunges to the center, its orbital motion is approaching the speed of light. X-rays up to hundreds of times more powerful (\"harder\") than those in the disk arise from the corona, a region of tenuous and much hotter gas around the disk. Coronal temperatures reach billions of degrees. The event horizon is the boundary where all trajectories, including those of light, must go inward. Nothing, not even light, can pass outward across the event horizon and escape the black hole.Music: \"Lost in Space\" by Lars Leonhard, courtesy of artist.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 960, "height": 540, "pixels": 518400 } }, { "id": 307939, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468358, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/G2013-023_Black_Hole_Xray_Sim_FINAL_appletv.webmhd.webm", "filename": "G2013-023_Black_Hole_Xray_Sim_FINAL_appletv.webmhd.webm", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data takes you to the inner zone of the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Gas heated to 20 million degrees F as it spirals toward the black hole glows in low-energy, or soft, X-rays. Just before the gas plunges to the center, its orbital motion is approaching the speed of light. X-rays up to hundreds of times more powerful (\"harder\") than those in the disk arise from the corona, a region of tenuous and much hotter gas around the disk. Coronal temperatures reach billions of degrees. The event horizon is the boundary where all trajectories, including those of light, must go inward. Nothing, not even light, can pass outward across the event horizon and escape the black hole.Music: \"Lost in Space\" by Lars Leonhard, courtesy of artist.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 960, "height": 540, "pixels": 518400 } }, { "id": 307932, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468354, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/G2013-023_Black_Hole_Xray_Sim_FINAL_appletv.m4v", "filename": "G2013-023_Black_Hole_Xray_Sim_FINAL_appletv.m4v", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data takes you to the inner zone of the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Gas heated to 20 million degrees F as it spirals toward the black hole glows in low-energy, or soft, X-rays. Just before the gas plunges to the center, its orbital motion is approaching the speed of light. X-rays up to hundreds of times more powerful (\"harder\") than those in the disk arise from the corona, a region of tenuous and much hotter gas around the disk. Coronal temperatures reach billions of degrees. The event horizon is the boundary where all trajectories, including those of light, must go inward. Nothing, not even light, can pass outward across the event horizon and escape the black hole.Music: \"Lost in Space\" by Lars Leonhard, courtesy of artist.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 960, "height": 540, "pixels": 518400 } }, { "id": 307931, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468357, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/G2013-023_Black_Hole_Xray_Sim_FINAL_1280x720.wmv", "filename": "G2013-023_Black_Hole_Xray_Sim_FINAL_1280x720.wmv", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data takes you to the inner zone of the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Gas heated to 20 million degrees F as it spirals toward the black hole glows in low-energy, or soft, X-rays. Just before the gas plunges to the center, its orbital motion is approaching the speed of light. X-rays up to hundreds of times more powerful (\"harder\") than those in the disk arise from the corona, a region of tenuous and much hotter gas around the disk. Coronal temperatures reach billions of degrees. The event horizon is the boundary where all trajectories, including those of light, must go inward. Nothing, not even light, can pass outward across the event horizon and escape the black hole.Music: \"Lost in Space\" by Lars Leonhard, courtesy of artist.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 307930, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468355, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/G2013-023_Black_Hole_Xray_Sim_FINAL_youtube_hq.mov", "filename": "G2013-023_Black_Hole_Xray_Sim_FINAL_youtube_hq.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data takes you to the inner zone of the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Gas heated to 20 million degrees F as it spirals toward the black hole glows in low-energy, or soft, X-rays. Just before the gas plunges to the center, its orbital motion is approaching the speed of light. X-rays up to hundreds of times more powerful (\"harder\") than those in the disk arise from the corona, a region of tenuous and much hotter gas around the disk. Coronal temperatures reach billions of degrees. The event horizon is the boundary where all trajectories, including those of light, must go inward. Nothing, not even light, can pass outward across the event horizon and escape the black hole.Music: \"Lost in Space\" by Lars Leonhard, courtesy of artist.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 307929, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468345, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/11206_BH_Xray_Sim_MPEG4_1920x1080_29.97.mp4", "filename": "11206_BH_Xray_Sim_MPEG4_1920x1080_29.97.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data takes you to the inner zone of the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Gas heated to 20 million degrees F as it spirals toward the black hole glows in low-energy, or soft, X-rays. Just before the gas plunges to the center, its orbital motion is approaching the speed of light. X-rays up to hundreds of times more powerful (\"harder\") than those in the disk arise from the corona, a region of tenuous and much hotter gas around the disk. Coronal temperatures reach billions of degrees. The event horizon is the boundary where all trajectories, including those of light, must go inward. Nothing, not even light, can pass outward across the event horizon and escape the black hole.Music: \"Lost in Space\" by Lars Leonhard, courtesy of artist.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307928, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468351, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/11206_BH_Xray_Sim_H264_Good_1920x1080_29.97.mov", "filename": "11206_BH_Xray_Sim_H264_Good_1920x1080_29.97.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data takes you to the inner zone of the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Gas heated to 20 million degrees F as it spirals toward the black hole glows in low-energy, or soft, X-rays. Just before the gas plunges to the center, its orbital motion is approaching the speed of light. X-rays up to hundreds of times more powerful (\"harder\") than those in the disk arise from the corona, a region of tenuous and much hotter gas around the disk. Coronal temperatures reach billions of degrees. The event horizon is the boundary where all trajectories, including those of light, must go inward. Nothing, not even light, can pass outward across the event horizon and escape the black hole.Music: \"Lost in Space\" by Lars Leonhard, courtesy of artist.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307926, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468346, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/11206_BH_Xray_Sim_ProRes_1920x1080_29.97.mov", "filename": "11206_BH_Xray_Sim_ProRes_1920x1080_29.97.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data takes you to the inner zone of the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Gas heated to 20 million degrees F as it spirals toward the black hole glows in low-energy, or soft, X-rays. Just before the gas plunges to the center, its orbital motion is approaching the speed of light. X-rays up to hundreds of times more powerful (\"harder\") than those in the disk arise from the corona, a region of tenuous and much hotter gas around the disk. Coronal temperatures reach billions of degrees. The event horizon is the boundary where all trajectories, including those of light, must go inward. Nothing, not even light, can pass outward across the event horizon and escape the black hole.Music: \"Lost in Space\" by Lars Leonhard, courtesy of artist.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307933, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468353, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/G2013-023_Black_Hole_Xray_Sim_FINAL_portal.mov", "filename": "G2013-023_Black_Hole_Xray_Sim_FINAL_portal.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data takes you to the inner zone of the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Gas heated to 20 million degrees F as it spirals toward the black hole glows in low-energy, or soft, X-rays. Just before the gas plunges to the center, its orbital motion is approaching the speed of light. X-rays up to hundreds of times more powerful (\"harder\") than those in the disk arise from the corona, a region of tenuous and much hotter gas around the disk. Coronal temperatures reach billions of degrees. The event horizon is the boundary where all trajectories, including those of light, must go inward. Nothing, not even light, can pass outward across the event horizon and escape the black hole.Music: \"Lost in Space\" by Lars Leonhard, courtesy of artist.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 640, "height": 360, "pixels": 230400 } }, { "id": 307934, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468352, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/G2013-023_Black_Hole_Xray_Sim_FINAL_ipod_lg.m4v", "filename": "G2013-023_Black_Hole_Xray_Sim_FINAL_ipod_lg.m4v", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data takes you to the inner zone of the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Gas heated to 20 million degrees F as it spirals toward the black hole glows in low-energy, or soft, X-rays. Just before the gas plunges to the center, its orbital motion is approaching the speed of light. X-rays up to hundreds of times more powerful (\"harder\") than those in the disk arise from the corona, a region of tenuous and much hotter gas around the disk. Coronal temperatures reach billions of degrees. The event horizon is the boundary where all trajectories, including those of light, must go inward. Nothing, not even light, can pass outward across the event horizon and escape the black hole.Music: \"Lost in Space\" by Lars Leonhard, courtesy of artist.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 640, "height": 360, "pixels": 230400 } }, { "id": 307940, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 853664, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/BH_Xray_Sim_SRT_Captions.en_US.vtt", "filename": "BH_Xray_Sim_SRT_Captions.en_US.vtt", "media_type": "Captions", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data takes you to the inner zone of the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Gas heated to 20 million degrees F as it spirals toward the black hole glows in low-energy, or soft, X-rays. Just before the gas plunges to the center, its orbital motion is approaching the speed of light. X-rays up to hundreds of times more powerful (\"harder\") than those in the disk arise from the corona, a region of tenuous and much hotter gas around the disk. Coronal temperatures reach billions of degrees. The event horizon is the boundary where all trajectories, including those of light, must go inward. Nothing, not even light, can pass outward across the event horizon and escape the black hole.Music: \"Lost in Space\" by Lars Leonhard, courtesy of artist.For complete transcript, click here.", "label": "English", "language_code": "" } }, { "id": 307941, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 853665, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/BH_Xray_Sim_SRT_Captions.en_US.srt", "filename": "BH_Xray_Sim_SRT_Captions.en_US.srt", "media_type": "Captions", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data takes you to the inner zone of the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Gas heated to 20 million degrees F as it spirals toward the black hole glows in low-energy, or soft, X-rays. Just before the gas plunges to the center, its orbital motion is approaching the speed of light. X-rays up to hundreds of times more powerful (\"harder\") than those in the disk arise from the corona, a region of tenuous and much hotter gas around the disk. Coronal temperatures reach billions of degrees. The event horizon is the boundary where all trajectories, including those of light, must go inward. Nothing, not even light, can pass outward across the event horizon and escape the black hole.Music: \"Lost in Space\" by Lars Leonhard, courtesy of artist.For complete transcript, click here.", "label": "English", "language_code": "" } }, { "id": 307935, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468356, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/G2013-023_Black_Hole_Xray_Sim_FINAL_ipod_sm.mp4", "filename": "G2013-023_Black_Hole_Xray_Sim_FINAL_ipod_sm.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data takes you to the inner zone of the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Gas heated to 20 million degrees F as it spirals toward the black hole glows in low-energy, or soft, X-rays. Just before the gas plunges to the center, its orbital motion is approaching the speed of light. X-rays up to hundreds of times more powerful (\"harder\") than those in the disk arise from the corona, a region of tenuous and much hotter gas around the disk. Coronal temperatures reach billions of degrees. The event horizon is the boundary where all trajectories, including those of light, must go inward. Nothing, not even light, can pass outward across the event horizon and escape the black hole.Music: \"Lost in Space\" by Lars Leonhard, courtesy of artist.For complete transcript, click here.", "width": 320, "height": 240, "pixels": 76800 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 345575, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11206/#media_group_345575", "widget": "Video player", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "This animation of supercomputer data shows low-energy (soft) X-ray emission from the inner accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Infalling gas is compressed and heated to millions of degrees as it swirls toward the inner edge of the disk, where the orbital speed approaches the speed of light. Magnetic fields threading through the gas are dramatically amplified. They affect the motion of the ionized gas, resulting in complex, turbulent motion. The left side of the disk appears brighter than the right because the energy of light emitted by gas approaching us (left) is increased by the Doppler shift, while the energy of light emitted in gas moving away from us (right) is decreased. We view the scene from a perspective 45 degrees above the accretion disk.
Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "items": [ { "id": 307950, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468360, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/image_disk000333.png", "filename": "image_disk000333.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows low-energy (soft) X-ray emission from the inner accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Infalling gas is compressed and heated to millions of degrees as it swirls toward the inner edge of the disk, where the orbital speed approaches the speed of light. Magnetic fields threading through the gas are dramatically amplified. They affect the motion of the ionized gas, resulting in complex, turbulent motion. The left side of the disk appears brighter than the right because the energy of light emitted by gas approaching us (left) is increased by the Doppler shift, while the energy of light emitted in gas moving away from us (right) is decreased. We view the scene from a perspective 45 degrees above the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307949, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468368, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/image_disk000333.jpg", "filename": "image_disk000333.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows low-energy (soft) X-ray emission from the inner accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Infalling gas is compressed and heated to millions of degrees as it swirls toward the inner edge of the disk, where the orbital speed approaches the speed of light. Magnetic fields threading through the gas are dramatically amplified. They affect the motion of the ionized gas, resulting in complex, turbulent motion. The left side of the disk appears brighter than the right because the energy of light emitted by gas approaching us (left) is increased by the Doppler shift, while the energy of light emitted in gas moving away from us (right) is decreased. We view the scene from a perspective 45 degrees above the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 5001, "height": 2813, "pixels": 14067813 } }, { "id": 307951, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468367, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/image_disk000333_web.jpg", "filename": "image_disk000333_web.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows low-energy (soft) X-ray emission from the inner accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Infalling gas is compressed and heated to millions of degrees as it swirls toward the inner edge of the disk, where the orbital speed approaches the speed of light. Magnetic fields threading through the gas are dramatically amplified. They affect the motion of the ionized gas, resulting in complex, turbulent motion. The left side of the disk appears brighter than the right because the energy of light emitted by gas approaching us (left) is increased by the Doppler shift, while the energy of light emitted in gas moving away from us (right) is decreased. We view the scene from a perspective 45 degrees above the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 307943, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468361, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Black_Hole_Sim_Disk_ProRes_1920x1080_30.mov", "filename": "Black_Hole_Sim_Disk_ProRes_1920x1080_30.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows low-energy (soft) X-ray emission from the inner accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Infalling gas is compressed and heated to millions of degrees as it swirls toward the inner edge of the disk, where the orbital speed approaches the speed of light. Magnetic fields threading through the gas are dramatically amplified. They affect the motion of the ionized gas, resulting in complex, turbulent motion. The left side of the disk appears brighter than the right because the energy of light emitted by gas approaching us (left) is increased by the Doppler shift, while the energy of light emitted in gas moving away from us (right) is decreased. We view the scene from a perspective 45 degrees above the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307944, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468362, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/frames/1920x1080_16x9_30p/Accretion/", "filename": "Accretion", "media_type": "Frames", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows low-energy (soft) X-ray emission from the inner accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Infalling gas is compressed and heated to millions of degrees as it swirls toward the inner edge of the disk, where the orbital speed approaches the speed of light. Magnetic fields threading through the gas are dramatically amplified. They affect the motion of the ionized gas, resulting in complex, turbulent motion. The left side of the disk appears brighter than the right because the energy of light emitted by gas approaching us (left) is increased by the Doppler shift, while the energy of light emitted in gas moving away from us (right) is decreased. We view the scene from a perspective 45 degrees above the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307945, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468363, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Black_Hole_Sim_Disk_H264_Best_1920x1080_29.97.mov", "filename": "Black_Hole_Sim_Disk_H264_Best_1920x1080_29.97.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows low-energy (soft) X-ray emission from the inner accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Infalling gas is compressed and heated to millions of degrees as it swirls toward the inner edge of the disk, where the orbital speed approaches the speed of light. Magnetic fields threading through the gas are dramatically amplified. They affect the motion of the ionized gas, resulting in complex, turbulent motion. The left side of the disk appears brighter than the right because the energy of light emitted by gas approaching us (left) is increased by the Doppler shift, while the energy of light emitted in gas moving away from us (right) is decreased. We view the scene from a perspective 45 degrees above the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307946, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468364, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Black_Hole_Sim_Disk_H264_Good_1920x1080_29.97.mov", "filename": "Black_Hole_Sim_Disk_H264_Good_1920x1080_29.97.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows low-energy (soft) X-ray emission from the inner accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Infalling gas is compressed and heated to millions of degrees as it swirls toward the inner edge of the disk, where the orbital speed approaches the speed of light. Magnetic fields threading through the gas are dramatically amplified. They affect the motion of the ionized gas, resulting in complex, turbulent motion. The left side of the disk appears brighter than the right because the energy of light emitted by gas approaching us (left) is increased by the Doppler shift, while the energy of light emitted in gas moving away from us (right) is decreased. We view the scene from a perspective 45 degrees above the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307947, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468365, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Black_Hole_Sim_Disk_MPEG4_1920x1080_29.97.mp4", "filename": "Black_Hole_Sim_Disk_MPEG4_1920x1080_29.97.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows low-energy (soft) X-ray emission from the inner accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Infalling gas is compressed and heated to millions of degrees as it swirls toward the inner edge of the disk, where the orbital speed approaches the speed of light. Magnetic fields threading through the gas are dramatically amplified. They affect the motion of the ionized gas, resulting in complex, turbulent motion. The left side of the disk appears brighter than the right because the energy of light emitted by gas approaching us (left) is increased by the Doppler shift, while the energy of light emitted in gas moving away from us (right) is decreased. We view the scene from a perspective 45 degrees above the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307948, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468366, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Black_Hole_Sim_Disk_H264_1280x720_30.mov", "filename": "Black_Hole_Sim_Disk_H264_1280x720_30.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows low-energy (soft) X-ray emission from the inner accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Infalling gas is compressed and heated to millions of degrees as it swirls toward the inner edge of the disk, where the orbital speed approaches the speed of light. Magnetic fields threading through the gas are dramatically amplified. They affect the motion of the ionized gas, resulting in complex, turbulent motion. The left side of the disk appears brighter than the right because the energy of light emitted by gas approaching us (left) is increased by the Doppler shift, while the energy of light emitted in gas moving away from us (right) is decreased. We view the scene from a perspective 45 degrees above the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 307952, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468369, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Black_Hole_Sim_Disk_H264_1280x720_30.webmhd.webm", "filename": "Black_Hole_Sim_Disk_H264_1280x720_30.webmhd.webm", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows low-energy (soft) X-ray emission from the inner accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. Infalling gas is compressed and heated to millions of degrees as it swirls toward the inner edge of the disk, where the orbital speed approaches the speed of light. Magnetic fields threading through the gas are dramatically amplified. They affect the motion of the ionized gas, resulting in complex, turbulent motion. The left side of the disk appears brighter than the right because the energy of light emitted by gas approaching us (left) is increased by the Doppler shift, while the energy of light emitted in gas moving away from us (right) is decreased. We view the scene from a perspective 45 degrees above the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 960, "height": 540, "pixels": 518400 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 345576, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11206/#media_group_345576", "widget": "Video player", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "This animation of supercomputer data shows high-energy (hard) X-rays radiated from the corona region above the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. The corona is a tenuous gas above and below the disk with temperatures reaching billions of degrees. The contrast between the left and right sides of the image, caused by the Doppler shift, is much less pronounced than in the disk movie. This is because the random motions of particles in the corona are as fast as their orbital speed, which reduces the contrast. Particles in the corona scatter soft X-rays from the disk and give them an energy boost, resulting in hard X-ray emission. We view the corona from a perspective 45 degrees above the plane of the accretion disk.
Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "items": [ { "id": 307960, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468371, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/image_coro000333.png", "filename": "image_coro000333.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows high-energy (hard) X-rays radiated from the corona region above the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. The corona is a tenuous gas above and below the disk with temperatures reaching billions of degrees. The contrast between the left and right sides of the image, caused by the Doppler shift, is much less pronounced than in the disk movie. This is because the random motions of particles in the corona are as fast as their orbital speed, which reduces the contrast. Particles in the corona scatter soft X-rays from the disk and give them an energy boost, resulting in hard X-ray emission. We view the corona from a perspective 45 degrees above the plane of the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307959, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468379, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/image_coro000333.jpg", "filename": "image_coro000333.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows high-energy (hard) X-rays radiated from the corona region above the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. The corona is a tenuous gas above and below the disk with temperatures reaching billions of degrees. The contrast between the left and right sides of the image, caused by the Doppler shift, is much less pronounced than in the disk movie. This is because the random motions of particles in the corona are as fast as their orbital speed, which reduces the contrast. Particles in the corona scatter soft X-rays from the disk and give them an energy boost, resulting in hard X-ray emission. We view the corona from a perspective 45 degrees above the plane of the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 5001, "height": 2813, "pixels": 14067813 } }, { "id": 307961, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468378, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/image_coro000333_web.jpg", "filename": "image_coro000333_web.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows high-energy (hard) X-rays radiated from the corona region above the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. The corona is a tenuous gas above and below the disk with temperatures reaching billions of degrees. The contrast between the left and right sides of the image, caused by the Doppler shift, is much less pronounced than in the disk movie. This is because the random motions of particles in the corona are as fast as their orbital speed, which reduces the contrast. Particles in the corona scatter soft X-rays from the disk and give them an energy boost, resulting in hard X-ray emission. We view the corona from a perspective 45 degrees above the plane of the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 307953, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468372, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Black_Hole_Sim_Coro_ProRes_1920x1080_30.mov", "filename": "Black_Hole_Sim_Coro_ProRes_1920x1080_30.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows high-energy (hard) X-rays radiated from the corona region above the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. The corona is a tenuous gas above and below the disk with temperatures reaching billions of degrees. The contrast between the left and right sides of the image, caused by the Doppler shift, is much less pronounced than in the disk movie. This is because the random motions of particles in the corona are as fast as their orbital speed, which reduces the contrast. Particles in the corona scatter soft X-rays from the disk and give them an energy boost, resulting in hard X-ray emission. We view the corona from a perspective 45 degrees above the plane of the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307954, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468373, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/frames/1920x1080_16x9_30p/Corona/", "filename": "Corona", "media_type": "Frames", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows high-energy (hard) X-rays radiated from the corona region above the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. The corona is a tenuous gas above and below the disk with temperatures reaching billions of degrees. The contrast between the left and right sides of the image, caused by the Doppler shift, is much less pronounced than in the disk movie. This is because the random motions of particles in the corona are as fast as their orbital speed, which reduces the contrast. Particles in the corona scatter soft X-rays from the disk and give them an energy boost, resulting in hard X-ray emission. We view the corona from a perspective 45 degrees above the plane of the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307955, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468374, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Black_Hole_Sim_Coro_H264_Best_1920x1080_29.97.mov", "filename": "Black_Hole_Sim_Coro_H264_Best_1920x1080_29.97.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows high-energy (hard) X-rays radiated from the corona region above the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. The corona is a tenuous gas above and below the disk with temperatures reaching billions of degrees. The contrast between the left and right sides of the image, caused by the Doppler shift, is much less pronounced than in the disk movie. This is because the random motions of particles in the corona are as fast as their orbital speed, which reduces the contrast. Particles in the corona scatter soft X-rays from the disk and give them an energy boost, resulting in hard X-ray emission. We view the corona from a perspective 45 degrees above the plane of the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307956, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468375, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Black_Hole_Sim_Coro_H264_Good_1920x1080_29.97.mov", "filename": "Black_Hole_Sim_Coro_H264_Good_1920x1080_29.97.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows high-energy (hard) X-rays radiated from the corona region above the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. The corona is a tenuous gas above and below the disk with temperatures reaching billions of degrees. The contrast between the left and right sides of the image, caused by the Doppler shift, is much less pronounced than in the disk movie. This is because the random motions of particles in the corona are as fast as their orbital speed, which reduces the contrast. Particles in the corona scatter soft X-rays from the disk and give them an energy boost, resulting in hard X-ray emission. We view the corona from a perspective 45 degrees above the plane of the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307957, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468376, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Black_Hole_Sim_Coro_MPEG4_1920x1080_29.97.mp4", "filename": "Black_Hole_Sim_Coro_MPEG4_1920x1080_29.97.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows high-energy (hard) X-rays radiated from the corona region above the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. The corona is a tenuous gas above and below the disk with temperatures reaching billions of degrees. The contrast between the left and right sides of the image, caused by the Doppler shift, is much less pronounced than in the disk movie. This is because the random motions of particles in the corona are as fast as their orbital speed, which reduces the contrast. Particles in the corona scatter soft X-rays from the disk and give them an energy boost, resulting in hard X-ray emission. We view the corona from a perspective 45 degrees above the plane of the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307958, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468377, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Black_Hole_Sim_Coro_H264_1280x720_30.mov", "filename": "Black_Hole_Sim_Coro_H264_1280x720_30.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows high-energy (hard) X-rays radiated from the corona region above the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. The corona is a tenuous gas above and below the disk with temperatures reaching billions of degrees. The contrast between the left and right sides of the image, caused by the Doppler shift, is much less pronounced than in the disk movie. This is because the random motions of particles in the corona are as fast as their orbital speed, which reduces the contrast. Particles in the corona scatter soft X-rays from the disk and give them an energy boost, resulting in hard X-ray emission. We view the corona from a perspective 45 degrees above the plane of the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 307962, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468370, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Black_Hole_Sim_Coro_H264_1280x720_30.webmhd.webm", "filename": "Black_Hole_Sim_Coro_H264_1280x720_30.webmhd.webm", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows high-energy (hard) X-rays radiated from the corona region above the accretion disk of a stellar-mass black hole. The corona is a tenuous gas above and below the disk with temperatures reaching billions of degrees. The contrast between the left and right sides of the image, caused by the Doppler shift, is much less pronounced than in the disk movie. This is because the random motions of particles in the corona are as fast as their orbital speed, which reduces the contrast. Particles in the corona scatter soft X-rays from the disk and give them an energy boost, resulting in hard X-ray emission. We view the corona from a perspective 45 degrees above the plane of the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 960, "height": 540, "pixels": 518400 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 345577, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11206/#media_group_345577", "widget": "Video player", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "This animation of supercomputer data shows both low-energy X-rays (red) from the inner accretion disk and high-energy X-rays (blue) from the inner corona of a stellar-mass black hole. Particles in the corona scatter soft X-rays from the disk and give them an energy boost, resulting in hard X-ray emission. We view the scene from a perspective 45 degrees above the plane of the accretion disk.
Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "items": [ { "id": 307970, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468380, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/image_both000333.png", "filename": "image_both000333.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows both low-energy X-rays (red) from the inner accretion disk and high-energy X-rays (blue) from the inner corona of a stellar-mass black hole. Particles in the corona scatter soft X-rays from the disk and give them an energy boost, resulting in hard X-ray emission. We view the scene from a perspective 45 degrees above the plane of the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307969, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468388, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/image_both000333.jpg", "filename": "image_both000333.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows both low-energy X-rays (red) from the inner accretion disk and high-energy X-rays (blue) from the inner corona of a stellar-mass black hole. Particles in the corona scatter soft X-rays from the disk and give them an energy boost, resulting in hard X-ray emission. We view the scene from a perspective 45 degrees above the plane of the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 5001, "height": 2813, "pixels": 14067813 } }, { "id": 307971, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468387, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/image_both000333_web.jpg", "filename": "image_both000333_web.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows both low-energy X-rays (red) from the inner accretion disk and high-energy X-rays (blue) from the inner corona of a stellar-mass black hole. Particles in the corona scatter soft X-rays from the disk and give them an energy boost, resulting in hard X-ray emission. We view the scene from a perspective 45 degrees above the plane of the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 307963, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468381, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Black_Hole_Sim_Both_ProRes_1920x1080_30.mov", "filename": "Black_Hole_Sim_Both_ProRes_1920x1080_30.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows both low-energy X-rays (red) from the inner accretion disk and high-energy X-rays (blue) from the inner corona of a stellar-mass black hole. Particles in the corona scatter soft X-rays from the disk and give them an energy boost, resulting in hard X-ray emission. We view the scene from a perspective 45 degrees above the plane of the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307964, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468382, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/frames/1920x1080_16x9_30p/Combined/", "filename": "Combined", "media_type": "Frames", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows both low-energy X-rays (red) from the inner accretion disk and high-energy X-rays (blue) from the inner corona of a stellar-mass black hole. Particles in the corona scatter soft X-rays from the disk and give them an energy boost, resulting in hard X-ray emission. We view the scene from a perspective 45 degrees above the plane of the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307965, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468383, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Black_Hole_Sim_Both_H264_Best_1920x1080_29.97.mov", "filename": "Black_Hole_Sim_Both_H264_Best_1920x1080_29.97.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows both low-energy X-rays (red) from the inner accretion disk and high-energy X-rays (blue) from the inner corona of a stellar-mass black hole. Particles in the corona scatter soft X-rays from the disk and give them an energy boost, resulting in hard X-ray emission. We view the scene from a perspective 45 degrees above the plane of the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307966, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468384, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Black_Hole_Sim_Both_H264_Good_1920x1080_29.97.mov", "filename": "Black_Hole_Sim_Both_H264_Good_1920x1080_29.97.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows both low-energy X-rays (red) from the inner accretion disk and high-energy X-rays (blue) from the inner corona of a stellar-mass black hole. Particles in the corona scatter soft X-rays from the disk and give them an energy boost, resulting in hard X-ray emission. We view the scene from a perspective 45 degrees above the plane of the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307967, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468385, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Black_Hole_Sim_Both_MPEG4_1920x1080_29.97.mp4", "filename": "Black_Hole_Sim_Both_MPEG4_1920x1080_29.97.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows both low-energy X-rays (red) from the inner accretion disk and high-energy X-rays (blue) from the inner corona of a stellar-mass black hole. Particles in the corona scatter soft X-rays from the disk and give them an energy boost, resulting in hard X-ray emission. We view the scene from a perspective 45 degrees above the plane of the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307968, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468386, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Black_Hole_Sim_Both_H264_1280x720_30.mov", "filename": "Black_Hole_Sim_Both_H264_1280x720_30.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows both low-energy X-rays (red) from the inner accretion disk and high-energy X-rays (blue) from the inner corona of a stellar-mass black hole. Particles in the corona scatter soft X-rays from the disk and give them an energy boost, resulting in hard X-ray emission. We view the scene from a perspective 45 degrees above the plane of the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 307972, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468389, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Black_Hole_Sim_Both_H264_1280x720_30.webmhd.webm", "filename": "Black_Hole_Sim_Both_H264_1280x720_30.webmhd.webm", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation of supercomputer data shows both low-energy X-rays (red) from the inner accretion disk and high-energy X-rays (blue) from the inner corona of a stellar-mass black hole. Particles in the corona scatter soft X-rays from the disk and give them an energy boost, resulting in hard X-ray emission. We view the scene from a perspective 45 degrees above the plane of the accretion disk.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble (RIT)", "width": 960, "height": 540, "pixels": 518400 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 345578, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11206/#media_group_345578", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "This annotated image labels several features in the simulation, including the event horizon of the black hole.", "items": [ { "id": 307973, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468390, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Black_Hole_Sim_Labeled.jpg", "filename": "Black_Hole_Sim_Labeled.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This annotated image labels several features in the simulation, including the event horizon of the black hole.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307974, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468391, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Black_Hole_Sim_Labeled_web.png", "filename": "Black_Hole_Sim_Labeled_web.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This annotated image labels several features in the simulation, including the event horizon of the black hole.", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 345579, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11206/#media_group_345579", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "This illustration shows the approximate relationships between the black hole, its accretion disk (red), and the viewpoint and field of view of the simulation.", "items": [ { "id": 307975, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468392, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Diagram_Camera_Perspective.jpg", "filename": "Diagram_Camera_Perspective.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This illustration shows the approximate relationships between the black hole, its accretion disk (red), and the viewpoint and field of view of the simulation.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307976, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468393, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Diagram_Camera_Perspective_web.jpg", "filename": "Diagram_Camera_Perspective_web.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This illustration shows the approximate relationships between the black hole, its accretion disk (red), and the viewpoint and field of view of the simulation.", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 345580, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11206/#media_group_345580", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "This illustration shows the paths of soft X-rays (arrows) from the underside of the accretion disk that form rings seen near the black hole in the simulation.", "items": [ { "id": 307977, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468394, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Diagram_Photon_Ring_Light_Path.jpg", "filename": "Diagram_Photon_Ring_Light_Path.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This illustration shows the paths of soft X-rays (arrows) from the underside of the accretion disk that form rings seen near the black hole in the simulation.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307978, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468395, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Diagram_Photon_Ring_Light_Path_web.jpg", "filename": "Diagram_Photon_Ring_Light_Path_web.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This illustration shows the paths of soft X-rays (arrows) from the underside of the accretion disk that form rings seen near the black hole in the simulation.", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 345581, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11206/#media_group_345581", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "This illustration shows the approximate relationships between the black hole, its accretion disk and the corona region (blue). The arrows show a soft X-ray (red) traveling into the corona and striking a particle moving near the speed of light. The collision scatters the light and boosts it to much higher energy, making it a hard X-ray. This process is known as inverse Compton scattering.", "items": [ { "id": 307979, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468396, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Diagram_Corona_Scattering.jpg", "filename": "Diagram_Corona_Scattering.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This illustration shows the approximate relationships between the black hole, its accretion disk and the corona region (blue). The arrows show a soft X-ray (red) traveling into the corona and striking a particle moving near the speed of light. The collision scatters the light and boosts it to much higher energy, making it a hard X-ray. This process is known as inverse Compton scattering.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 307980, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468397, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Diagram_Corona_Scattering_web.jpg", "filename": "Diagram_Corona_Scattering_web.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This illustration shows the approximate relationships between the black hole, its accretion disk and the corona region (blue). The arrows show a soft X-ray (red) traveling into the corona and striking a particle moving near the speed of light. The collision scatters the light and boosts it to much higher energy, making it a hard X-ray. This process is known as inverse Compton scattering.", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 345582, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11206/#media_group_345582", "widget": "Video player", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "This animation illustrates inverse Compton scattering. In the corona region above a black hole's accretion disk, electrons and other particles move at appreciable fractions of the speed of light. When a low-energy X-ray (red) from the disk travels through this region, it may collide with one of the fast-moving particles (in this case, an electron). The impact scatters the light while simultaneously boosting its energy into the hard X-ray (blue) regime.", "items": [ { "id": 307981, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468398, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Inverse_Compton_Scattering_X-ray_still.jpg", "filename": "Inverse_Compton_Scattering_X-ray_still.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This animation illustrates inverse Compton scattering. In the corona region above a black hole's accretion disk, electrons and other particles move at appreciable fractions of the speed of light. When a low-energy X-ray (red) from the disk travels through this region, it may collide with one of the fast-moving particles (in this case, an electron). The impact scatters the light while simultaneously boosting its energy into the hard X-ray (blue) regime.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 307988, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468405, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/Inverse_Compton_Scattering_X-ray_still_web.jpg", "filename": "Inverse_Compton_Scattering_X-ray_still_web.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This animation illustrates inverse Compton scattering. In the corona region above a black hole's accretion disk, electrons and other particles move at appreciable fractions of the speed of light. When a low-energy X-ray (red) from the disk travels through this region, it may collide with one of the fast-moving particles (in this case, an electron). The impact scatters the light while simultaneously boosting its energy into the hard X-ray (blue) regime.", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 307982, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468399, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/X-ray_Inverse_Compton_Scattering_ProRes_1280x720_59.94.mov", "filename": "X-ray_Inverse_Compton_Scattering_ProRes_1280x720_59.94.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation illustrates inverse Compton scattering. In the corona region above a black hole's accretion disk, electrons and other particles move at appreciable fractions of the speed of light. When a low-energy X-ray (red) from the disk travels through this region, it may collide with one of the fast-moving particles (in this case, an electron). The impact scatters the light while simultaneously boosting its energy into the hard X-ray (blue) regime.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 307983, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468400, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/frames/1280x720_16x9_60p/", "filename": "1280x720_16x9_60p", "media_type": "Frames", "alt_text": "This animation illustrates inverse Compton scattering. In the corona region above a black hole's accretion disk, electrons and other particles move at appreciable fractions of the speed of light. When a low-energy X-ray (red) from the disk travels through this region, it may collide with one of the fast-moving particles (in this case, an electron). The impact scatters the light while simultaneously boosting its energy into the hard X-ray (blue) regime.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 307984, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468401, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/X-ray_Inverse_Compton_Scattering_H264_Best_1280x720_59.94.mov", "filename": "X-ray_Inverse_Compton_Scattering_H264_Best_1280x720_59.94.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation illustrates inverse Compton scattering. In the corona region above a black hole's accretion disk, electrons and other particles move at appreciable fractions of the speed of light. When a low-energy X-ray (red) from the disk travels through this region, it may collide with one of the fast-moving particles (in this case, an electron). The impact scatters the light while simultaneously boosting its energy into the hard X-ray (blue) regime.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 307985, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468402, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/X-ray_Inverse_Compton_Scattering_H264_Good_1280x720_29.97.mov", "filename": "X-ray_Inverse_Compton_Scattering_H264_Good_1280x720_29.97.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation illustrates inverse Compton scattering. In the corona region above a black hole's accretion disk, electrons and other particles move at appreciable fractions of the speed of light. When a low-energy X-ray (red) from the disk travels through this region, it may collide with one of the fast-moving particles (in this case, an electron). The impact scatters the light while simultaneously boosting its energy into the hard X-ray (blue) regime.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 307986, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468403, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/X-ray_Inverse_Compton_Scattering_H264_1280x720_30.mov", "filename": "X-ray_Inverse_Compton_Scattering_H264_1280x720_30.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation illustrates inverse Compton scattering. In the corona region above a black hole's accretion disk, electrons and other particles move at appreciable fractions of the speed of light. When a low-energy X-ray (red) from the disk travels through this region, it may collide with one of the fast-moving particles (in this case, an electron). The impact scatters the light while simultaneously boosting its energy into the hard X-ray (blue) regime.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 307987, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468404, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/X-ray_Inverse_Compton_Scattering_MPEG4_1280X720_29.97.mp4", "filename": "X-ray_Inverse_Compton_Scattering_MPEG4_1280X720_29.97.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation illustrates inverse Compton scattering. In the corona region above a black hole's accretion disk, electrons and other particles move at appreciable fractions of the speed of light. When a low-energy X-ray (red) from the disk travels through this region, it may collide with one of the fast-moving particles (in this case, an electron). The impact scatters the light while simultaneously boosting its energy into the hard X-ray (blue) regime.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 307989, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 468406, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011200/a011206/X-ray_Inverse_Compton_Scattering_ProRes_1280x720_59.94.webmhd.webm", "filename": "X-ray_Inverse_Compton_Scattering_ProRes_1280x720_59.94.webmhd.webm", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "This animation illustrates inverse Compton scattering. In the corona region above a black hole's accretion disk, electrons and other particles move at appreciable fractions of the speed of light. When a low-energy X-ray (red) from the disk travels through this region, it may collide with one of the fast-moving particles (in this case, an electron). The impact scatters the light while simultaneously boosting its energy into the hard X-ray (blue) regime.", "width": 960, "height": 540, "pixels": 518400 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 345583, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11206/#media_group_345583", "widget": "Basic text", "title": "For More Information", "caption": "", "description": "See [http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/black-hole-study.html](http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/black-hole-study.html)", "items": [], "extra_data": {} } ], "studio": "gms", "funding_sources": [ "NASA Astrophysics" ], "credits": [ { "role": "Animator", "people": [ { "name": "Scott Wiessinger", "employer": "USRA" } ] }, { "role": "Video editor", "people": [ { "name": "Scott Wiessinger", "employer": "USRA" } ] }, { "role": "Producer", "people": [ { "name": "Scott Wiessinger", "employer": "USRA" } ] }, { "role": "Scientist", "people": [ { "name": "Jeremy Schnittman", "employer": "NASA/GSFC" } ] }, { "role": "Writer", "people": [ { "name": "Francis Reddy", "employer": "Syneren Technologies" } ] } ], "missions": [], "series": [ "Astrophysics Features", "Astrophysics Simulations", "Astrophysics Stills", "Narrated Movies" ], "tapes": [ "First Principles Black Hole Simulation (Produced by: Robert Crippen)" ], "papers": [ "http://arxiv.org/abs/1207.2693", "http://arxiv.org/abs/1207.2693" ], "datasets": [], "nasa_science_categories": [ "Universe" ], "keywords": [ "Ast", "Astrophysics", "Black Hole", "Earth Science", "Galaxy", "Gamma Ray", "HDTV", "Space", "Spectral/Engineering", "X-ray" ], "recommended_pages": [], "related": [ { "id": 14132, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14132/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Black Hole Week: Black Hole GIFs", "description": "Black Hole WeekThis page provides social media assets used during previous celebrations of Black Hole Week. Join in! Below, you'll find many GIFs to use. || ", "release_date": "2022-04-12T00:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2023-05-03T11:44:14.472149-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 372070, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014100/a014132/BHW_BH_GIF_Thumbnail.jpg", "filename": "BHW_BH_GIF_Thumbnail.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Thumbnail", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 13043, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13043/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "New Simulation Sheds Light on Spiraling Supermassive Black Holes", "description": "Gas glows brightly in this computer simulation of supermassive black holes only 40 orbits from merging. Models like this may eventually help scientists pinpoint real examples of these powerful binary systems. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scott Noble; simulation data, d'Ascoli et al. 2018Music: \"Games Show Sphere 01\" from Killer TracksWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || SMBH_Sim_Still_1.jpg (1920x1080) [333.8 KB] || SMBH_Sim_Still_1_print.jpg (1024x576) [138.8 KB] || SMBH_Sim_Still_1_searchweb.png (320x180) [69.3 KB] || SMBH_Sim_Still_1_thm.png (80x40) [6.4 KB] || 13043_SMBH_Simulation_1080.webm (1920x1080) [17.4 MB] || 13043_SMBH_Simulation_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [202.8 MB] || SMBH_SRT_Captions.en_US.srt [2.0 KB] || SMBH_SRT_Captions.en_US.vtt [1.9 KB] || 13043_SMBH_Simulation_ProRes_1920x1080_2997.mov (1920x1080) [2.0 GB] || ", "release_date": "2018-10-02T10:50:00-04:00", "update_date": "2024-08-14T22:44:41.842504-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 400952, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013000/a013043/SMBH_Sim_Still_1.jpg", "filename": "SMBH_Sim_Still_1.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Gas glows brightly in this computer simulation of supermassive black holes only 40 orbits from merging. Models like this may eventually help scientists pinpoint real examples of these powerful binary systems. \rCredit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scott Noble; simulation data, d'Ascoli et al. 2018Music: \"Games Show Sphere 01\" from Killer TracksWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.\rComplete transcript available.", "width": 1920, "height": 1080, "pixels": 2073600 } }, { "id": 13086, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13086/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Supermassive Black Hole Binary Simulation Visualizations in 4k", "description": "Simulation of the light emitted by a supermassive black hole binary system where the surrounding gas is optically thin (transparent). Viewed from 0 degrees inclination, or directly above the plane of the disk. The emitted light represents all wavelengths.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scott Noble; simulation data, d'Ascoli et al. 2018 || image-000-_000150_print.jpg (1024x576) [33.9 KB] || image-000-_000150.png (3840x2160) [5.1 MB] || 0Degrees (3840x2160) [0 Item(s)] || SMBH_Sim_Thin0_4kFull.mp4 (3840x2160) [15.0 MB] || SMBH_Sim_Thin0_4kFull.webm (3840x2160) [2.2 MB] || SMBH_Sim_Thin0_4kFull.mov (3840x2160) [427.6 MB] || ", "release_date": "2018-10-02T10:50:00-04:00", "update_date": "2023-05-03T13:46:23.943583-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 399799, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013000/a013086/image-072-_000150_print.jpg", "filename": "image-072-_000150_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Simulation of the light emitted by a supermassive black hole binary system where the surrounding gas is optically thin (transparent). Viewed from 72 degrees inclination, or partially angled above the plane of the disk. The emitted light represents all wavelengths.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scott Noble; simulation data, d'Ascoli et al. 2018", "width": 1024, "height": 576, "pixels": 589824 } }, { "id": 11086, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11086/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Simulations Uncover 'Flashy' Secrets of Merging Black Holes", "description": "According to Einstein, whenever massive objects interact, they produce gravitational waves — distortions in the very fabric of space and time — that ripple outward across the universe at the speed of light. While astronomers have found indirect evidence of these disturbances, the waves have so far eluded direct detection. Ground-based observatories designed to find them are on the verge of achieving greater sensitivities, and many scientists think that this discovery is just a few years away. Catching gravitational waves from some of the strongest sources — colliding black holes with millions of times the sun's mass — will take a little longer. These waves undulate so slowly that they won't be detectable by ground-based facilities. Instead, scientists will need much larger space-based instruments, such as the proposed Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, which was endorsed as a high-priority future project by the astronomical community. A team that includes astrophysicists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., is looking forward to that day by using computational models to explore the mergers of supersized black holes. Their most recent work investigates what kind of \"flash\" might be seen by telescopes when astronomers ultimately find gravitational signals from such an event. To explore the problem, a team led by Bruno Giacomazzo at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and including Baker developed computer simulations that for the first time show what happens in the magnetized gas (also called a plasma) in the last stages of a black hole merger. In the turbulent environment near the merging black holes, the magnetic field intensifies as it becomes twisted and compressed. The team suggests that running the simulation for additional orbits would result in even greater amplification. The most interesting outcome of the magnetic simulation is the development of a funnel-like structure — a cleared-out zone that extends up out of the accretion disk near the merged black hole. The most important aspect of the study is the brightness of the merger's flash. The team finds that the magnetic model produces beamed emission that is some 10,000 times brighter than those seen in previous studies, which took the simplifying step of ignoring plasma effects in the merging disks. || ", "release_date": "2012-09-27T12:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2023-05-03T13:52:44.526816-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 472847, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011000/a011086/Black_Hole_merger_Still.png", "filename": "Black_Hole_merger_Still.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Supercomputer models of merging black holes reveal properties that are crucial to understanding future detections of gravitational waves. This movie follows two orbiting black holes and their accretion disk during their final three orbits and ultimate merger. Redder colors correspond to higher gas densities. This version has music and on-screen labels.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/P. Cowperthwaite, Univ. of MarylandFor complete transcript, click here.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } } ], "sources": [], "products": [], "newer_versions": [], "older_versions": [], "alternate_versions": [] }