All articles tagged with #vlba
AI model Kine merged roughly 100 VLBA images of the blazar 3C 345 from 1995–2022 into a high‑resolution movie, four times sharper than any single frame. The video enables precise mapping of the jet’s motion, showing components racing at about 10–13 times the speed of light while surrounding gas moves at roughly 9–12c, offering fresh insights into jet dynamics across a 27‑year baseline.
Astronomers using the VLBA tracked the quasar TXS 2005+403, 10 billion light-years away, as its radio waves were bent by turbulence in the Milky Way's ionized gas. The study finds persistent, patchy distortions rather than simple blur, providing a new probe of the Galaxy’s interstellar medium and informing models of star formation and cosmic-ray propagation.
Researchers have discovered that supermassive black holes can change the direction of their particle jets over time, similar to the fictional Death Star. Using data from the VLBA and Chandra X-ray Observatory, they found that in some cases, the jets shifted by up to 90 degrees within 1 to 10 million years. This movement disrupts star formation in the host galaxies by preventing gas and dust from cooling and forming new stars. The exact cause of this jet reorientation remains uncertain, but it may be linked to the black hole's rotation or other cosmological forces.