A supermassive black hole in galaxy NGC 3783 unleashed a sudden X-ray flare, triggering ultra-fast winds at one-fifth the speed of light. Observatories XMM-Newton and XRISM recorded the event in real time over just a few hours. This marks the first observation of such speedy wind formation from a black hole.
In the spiral galaxy NGC 3783, recently imaged by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, a supermassive black hole with the mass of about 30 million Suns powers an active galactic nucleus (AGN). This region consumes nearby gas and dust, emitting light across the electromagnetic spectrum and driving jets and winds.
Astronomers using the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton and the JAXA-led XRISM mission, launched in September 2023, detected a bright X-ray flare from the black hole that faded almost immediately. As it dimmed, high-velocity winds emerged, racing outward at 60,000 km per second—roughly one-fifth the speed of light. The entire process unfolded within hours, with winds forming in a single day.
"We've not watched a black hole create winds this speedily before," said lead researcher Liyi Gu from the Space Research Organization Netherlands. "For the first time, we've seen how a rapid burst of X-ray light from a black hole immediately triggers ultra-fast winds."
The winds appear to result from the AGN's tangled magnetic fields suddenly untwisting, akin to solar flares but on a cosmic scale. This resembles the Sun's coronal mass ejections, such as one on November 11 that expelled material at 1,500 km per second.
"AGNs are really fascinating and intense regions, and key targets for both XMM-Newton and XRISM," noted Matteo Guainazzi, ESA XRISM Project Scientist and co-author.
XMM-Newton, operational for over 25 years, tracked the flare's evolution with its Optical Monitor and measured wind extent using the European Photon Imaging Camera. XRISM's Resolve instrument analyzed velocity, structure, and launch processes.
These winds influence galaxy evolution and star formation. "Windy AGNs also play a big role in how their host galaxies evolve over time, and how they form new stars," explained Camille Diez, an ESA Research Fellow.
The discovery highlights similarities between solar and high-energy astrophysics, advancing understanding of universal processes.