The first black hole humanity has ever imaged has also provided us with what researchers are calling 'unequivocal evidence' that black holes spin.
. An international team of scientists headed by Chinese researcher Dr. Cui Yuzhu analyzed 22 years of observational data gathered by more than 20 telescopes around the world. What they found was that the black hole at the center of galaxy M87, which is 6.5 billion times more massive than our sun, exhibits an oscillating jet that swings up and down every 11 years. This phenomenon confirms that the black hole is indeed spinning.
So, what causes the M87's jet to swing back and forth? The researchers' analysis indicates that the black hole's spin axis doesn't perfectly align with the rotational axis of its accretion disk. This disk-like structure is typically found surrounding a black hole, because it's made of materials that gradually spiral into the void to be consumed.
This is a significant discovery that massively improves our understanding of the mysterious region of spacetime — aside from proving Einstein right, of course. Scientists have yet to find out the size of M87's accretion disk and how fast its black hole is spinning, though, and that entails further observation and analysis.
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