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Black hole spotted blasting winds at 130 million mph: "A scale almost too big to imagine"

Updated on: December 9, 2025 / 12:15 PM EST / CBS News

Black hole spotted blasting winds at 130 million mph: "A scale almost too big to imagine"

TL;DR

  • A black hole in the spiral galaxy NGC 3783 has generated winds at unprecedented speeds.
  • The winds reach speeds of 60,000 kilometers per second, approximately 20% of the speed of light.
  • These ultra-fast winds are triggered by a rapid burst of X-ray light from the black hole.
  • The process is likened to solar coronal mass ejections but on a significantly larger scale.
  • The discovery suggests similarities between solar and high-energy physics throughout the universe.
  • Winds from active galactic nuclei influence galaxy development, making their study key to understanding galactic history.