Using ESA's XMM-Newton and the X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM), a mission led by JAXA with participation from ESA and NASA, astronomers observed the launch of an ultrafast outflow from the supermassive black hole NGC 3783 at 19% the speed of light (57,000 km/s).
An artist's impression of the flaring supermassive black hole in NGC 3783. Image courtesy of ESA/ATG Europe.
NGK 3783 is a bright barred spiral galaxy located about 135 million light-years away in the constellation Centaurus.
The galaxy was first discovered on April 21, 1835 by the English astronomer John Herschel.
Also known as ESO 378-14, LEDA 36101 or 2XMM J113901.7-374418, it is a core member of the NGC 3783 galaxy group, a cluster of 47 galaxies.
NGK 3783 owners a rapidly rotating supermassive black hole with a mass of 2.8 million solar masses.
“We have never observed a black hole creating such a fast wind before,” said Dr. Liyi Gu, an astronomer at the Space Research Organization of the Netherlands (SRON).
“For the first time, we have seen how a rapid burst of X-ray light from a black hole immediately produces ultra-fast winds, and these winds form in just one day.”
During 10 days of observations, mostly from the XRISM space telescope, astronomers witnessed the formation and acceleration of a supermassive black hole in NGC 3783.
Scientists often find that such flares are caused by strong radiation, but this time the most likely cause is a sudden change in the magnetic field, similar to solar flares that cause solar flares.
While supermassive black holes are known to flicker in X-rays, this is the first time astronomers have clearly seen the high-speed ejection accelerated during an X-ray burst.
This was discovered during the longest continuous observation carried out by XRISM.
Over a 10-day period, scientists observed changes in the brightness of the X-rays, especially in the softer X-ray range.
These changes, including a burst that lasted three days, are not unusual for supermassive black holes.
What's unique about this flare, however, is the simultaneous ejection of gas from the black hole's accretion disk—a swirling disk of matter orbiting the black hole.
This gas was ejected at incredibly high speeds, reaching 57,000 km per second, or 19% of the speed of light.
The gas appeared to come from a region about 50 times the size of the black hole.
In this turbulent region, gravity and magnetic forces interact in extreme ways.
Researchers believe the surge was caused by a process called magnetic reconnection: a sudden reconfiguration of magnetic fields that releases enormous amounts of energy.
“This is a unique opportunity to study the mechanism that triggers ultrafast efflux,” Dr. Gu said.
“The data shows that the acceleration of the outflow is caused by magnetic forces similar to coronal mass ejections from the Sun.”
“Coronal mass ejections occur when large clumps of hot solar plasma are ejected into space.”
“A supermassive black hole could do the same thing, only these eruptions are ten billion times more powerful, dwarfing anything we've ever seen from our Sun.”
Scientists speculate that the observed black hole event, like its solar counterpart, is fueled by sudden bursts of magnetic energy.
This contrasts with common theories suggesting that black holes eject matter through intense radiation or intense heat.
The results provide new insight into how black holes not only attract matter, but also, under certain conditions, eject it back into space.
This process, known as feedback, may play a key role in how galaxies grow and change over time, influencing the stars and gas around the black hole and helping shape the Universe we see today.
“This discovery is the result of a successful collaboration that is a core part of all ESA missions,” said XMM-Newton project scientist Dr. Erik Kuulkers, an ESA astronomer.
“Targeting an active supermassive black hole, two telescopes discovered something we hadn't seen before: fast, ultra-fast winds caused by flares, reminiscent of those formed on the Sun.”
“What's amazing is that it suggests that solar and high-energy physics may work in surprisingly familiar ways throughout the universe.”
teams paper published in the December 9, 2025 issue of the magazine. Astronomy and astrophysics.
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Liyi Gu etc.. 2025 Exploring the interior of NGC 3783 using XRISM. III. Birth of an ultrafast outflow during a soft flare. A&A 704, A146; doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202557189
