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KamaAina

(78,249 posts)
Mon Apr 25, 2016, 02:56 PM Apr 2016

A Dozen Black Holes Are Mysteriously Spewing Energy In the Same Direction

http://gizmodo.com/a-dozen-black-holes-are-mysteriously-spewing-energy-in-1772855254

Something strange is going on in a distant corner of our universe. About a dozen supermassive black holes are all shooting enormous jets of energy in roughly the same direction. It could be a cosmic coincidence—but some astronomers suspect there are larger forces at play.

Supermassive black holes, which are found at the center of nearly all galaxies, periodically erupt, hurling streams of energized plasma into intergalactic space. For instance our galaxy’s own supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*, will sometimes swallow a star and belch x-ray energy all over the Milky Way. These eruptions are fascinating to astronomers, but they are typically thought to be independent events.

Now, a survey of 64 galaxies located halfway across the known universe has revealed a bizarre alignment between the energy jets erupting from a handful of black holes, all of which are located within a hundred million light years of each other. A pattern like this shouldn’t exist, unless it’s being dictated by an even larger structure in our universe.

Which is exactly what Russ Taylor, lead author of a forthcoming study in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, thinks may be happening. As Science News reports, Taylor suspects the eruptions are all being steered by filaments, a sort of scaffolding along which matter congregates on a cosmic scale. If the hypothesis is correct, it could help explain how our universe’s present structure came to be.

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A Dozen Black Holes Are Mysteriously Spewing Energy In the Same Direction (Original Post) KamaAina Apr 2016 OP
Obviously, it's... Lizzie Poppet Apr 2016 #1
This message was self-deleted by its author Rebkeh Apr 2016 #14
Our world is just an atom in a larger molecule called a galaxy in a larger chemical called a LiberalArkie Apr 2016 #2
Juxtaposition, it's the same if you look at it in the other direction Brother Buzz Apr 2016 #10
Sounds like a plot from Babylon 5 or Star Trek... Photographer Apr 2016 #3
Massively, eh? Act_of_Reparation Apr 2016 #4
He-he. Photographer Apr 2016 #5
A Dozen Black Holes Were Mysteriously Spewing Energy In the Same Direction MyshkinCommaPrince Apr 2016 #6
Hate to split hairs, but this is true for events occurring in the same room as well Android3.14 Apr 2016 #9
True. MyshkinCommaPrince Apr 2016 #12
I'd always heard it this way. CrispyQ Apr 2016 #27
Electromagnetism on a VAST scale librechik Apr 2016 #7
Dirty snowballers aren't ready to hear about this. Blue State Bandit Apr 2016 #17
Yep zeemike Apr 2016 #18
http://thunderbolts.com/ only goes to A DOMAIN SALE page, I tried it.. vkkv Apr 2016 #25
whoops, sorry--this link works, and librechik Apr 2016 #28
Because a YouTube video trumps Einstein any day of the week, right? NickB79 Apr 2016 #31
scoff if you will, dirty snowballer librechik Apr 2016 #34
That could just as easily describe this year's GOP debates. Initech Apr 2016 #8
Mjolnir being propelled through the universe ProudToBeBlueInRhody Apr 2016 #11
The 9 realms are converging! Initech Apr 2016 #29
Bigly marcopolo63 Apr 2016 #13
Wave Motion Gun. nt Codeine Apr 2016 #15
Pretty cool Rebkeh Apr 2016 #16
Global warming!!! nt Lucky Luciano Apr 2016 #19
Obviously an alien space-time wormhole. Binkie The Clown Apr 2016 #20
Obviously some aliens discovered the Omega molecule. Lobo27 Apr 2016 #21
We are toast! Helen Borg Apr 2016 #22
I for one welcome our new gravitational overlords.... Coventina Apr 2016 #23
Obviously God adjusting the jacuzzi. wickerwoman Apr 2016 #24
Wow, that's cool. There are amazing things and events in this universe.. thanks for posting.. vkkv Apr 2016 #26
You'll be getting the EU loons "explaining" this any minute... whatthehey Apr 2016 #30
They already showed up above, see post #7. NickB79 Apr 2016 #32
I'm not sure whether to be embarrassed or relieved I had missed that. nt. whatthehey Apr 2016 #33
ha ha--don't step over the edge, Einstein! n/t librechik Apr 2016 #35

Response to Lizzie Poppet (Reply #1)

LiberalArkie

(15,722 posts)
2. Our world is just an atom in a larger molecule called a galaxy in a larger chemical called a
Mon Apr 25, 2016, 03:06 PM
Apr 2016

universe in a large cell in a larger thing called an organ.......

Brother Buzz

(36,448 posts)
10. Juxtaposition, it's the same if you look at it in the other direction
Mon Apr 25, 2016, 04:04 PM
Apr 2016

An atom is a single solar system made up from a lot more stuff than just electrons, protons, and neutrons; stuff we don't even know yet.

That being said, I sleep well knowing I'm the center of my universe and the sun really does travel around me from my perspective if I choose too.

To infinity.....and beyond!

MyshkinCommaPrince

(611 posts)
6. A Dozen Black Holes Were Mysteriously Spewing Energy In the Same Direction
Mon Apr 25, 2016, 03:37 PM
Apr 2016

The black holes are far away. What we see happened a long time ago. I wish coverage of this sort of thing would use the correct verb tense.

That said, the matter is interesting.

 

Android3.14

(5,402 posts)
9. Hate to split hairs, but this is true for events occurring in the same room as well
Mon Apr 25, 2016, 03:51 PM
Apr 2016

Time is just the universe's trick to keep everything from happening at once.

Light has to travel, so technically nothing we see occurs in the present, or perhaps everything occurs in the present.

MyshkinCommaPrince

(611 posts)
12. True.
Mon Apr 25, 2016, 04:12 PM
Apr 2016

The difference being the time scales involved. So many people don't even know that what we see in the night sky represents past events. Clarity in science reporting could help casual readers have a better grasp of such things. Myself, I find such reports more interesting when I consider the mind-boggling distances and time frames that are involved. More people just prefer some sense of immediacy, maybe.

We don't really know how time works, I guess, so maybe everything could be happening in the present if all discreet moments coexist and consciousness creates the illusion of motion between them. Time as we know it is really consciousness of time? Something something, all dogs are blue now.

CrispyQ

(36,487 posts)
27. I'd always heard it this way.
Tue Apr 26, 2016, 10:17 AM
Apr 2016

Time keeps everything from happening at once & space keeps it from all happening to you.

librechik

(30,676 posts)
7. Electromagnetism on a VAST scale
Mon Apr 25, 2016, 03:37 PM
Apr 2016

Thunderbolts.com

has a lot to say about black holes and it makes more sense than the conventional wisdom.

zeemike

(18,998 posts)
18. Yep
Mon Apr 25, 2016, 04:34 PM
Apr 2016

They have a theory that actually works without the miracles required for conventional wisdom.

librechik

(30,676 posts)
34. scoff if you will, dirty snowballer
Wed Apr 27, 2016, 10:24 AM
Apr 2016

if the science is there, it will show itself.

But be sure to limit the scope of others reading. You want to make sure the orthodoxy always is on top! The earth is flat, after all...

Binkie The Clown

(7,911 posts)
20. Obviously an alien space-time wormhole.
Mon Apr 25, 2016, 05:09 PM
Apr 2016

Honestly, I don't know why it takes scientists so long to figure out the obvious answers.

 

vkkv

(3,384 posts)
26. Wow, that's cool. There are amazing things and events in this universe.. thanks for posting..
Mon Apr 25, 2016, 05:59 PM
Apr 2016

it IS all illusion though.. you guys know that, right?

whatthehey

(3,660 posts)
30. You'll be getting the EU loons "explaining" this any minute...
Tue Apr 26, 2016, 03:17 PM
Apr 2016

BTW no I'm not referring to our friends operating under Maastricht as loons. The Electric Universe types however...

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