Imagine peering into the cosmos and uncovering secrets that challenge everything you thought you knew about black holes! Based on multi-year data from the groundbreaking Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), scientists have revealed a captivating glimpse into the dynamic and unstable region just outside the event horizon of M87*, a supermassive black hole situated about 55 million light-years away in the Virgo galaxy cluster.

M87* isn't just any black hole—it boasts a staggering mass of approximately 6.5 billion times that of our Sun! It made headlines in 2019 when it became the first black hole ever captured in an image, forever changing the landscape of astrophysics. Since then, researchers have been diving deep into its mysteries, and the latest findings are nothing short of astonishing.

One of the key revelations is a complete flip in the magnetic field surrounding M87*. While the shadow cast by this cosmic giant remains consistent, the magnetized plasma swirling nearby has demonstrated dramatic shifts. Through analyzing the polarization of light emitted from its surroundings, scientists have observed a fascinating transformation in the magnetic field.

According to data from ScienceAlert, in 2017, the magnetic field exhibited a clockwise swirl. Fast forward to 2018, and the pattern had flipped to an anti-clockwise direction. By 2021, it had stabilized in this new orientation. This marks the first time a magnetic polarity flip has been detected around a black hole, a groundbreaking finding that challenges our understanding of these enigmatic entities.

Paul Tiede from the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics expressed the significance of this discovery, stating, “This tells us that the magnetized plasma swirling near the event horizon is far from static; it’s dynamic and complex, pushing our theoretical models to the limit.”

But that’s not all—M87* is also renowned for its massive relativistic jets, powerful beams of material that surge from the black hole’s poles at nearly the speed of light. These jets are vital players in shaping the evolution of their host galaxies, as noted by Eduardo Ros from the Max Planck Institute for Radioastronomy, who explained that they “regulate star formation and distribute energy across vast distances.”

Magnetic fields are believed to be crucial in the formation of these jets. As hot material spirals around M87* in an accretion disk, some of it escapes, propelled by magnetic structures that guide matter to the poles. By closely monitoring the changes in polarization, scientists aim to understand the role of these magnetic forces in the intricate process of jet-launching. The recent magnetic field reversal suggests that the plasma near the event horizon is more volatile than previously assumed.

As the EHT team prepares for future observations, there’s an exciting shift towards time-domain black hole astronomy, where researchers will track how black holes evolve over time. An ambitious campaign is set for March and April 2026, with plans to capture a “movie” of M87*, allowing scientists to witness the magnetic field and plasma activity in real time.

In a universe filled with wonder, this discovery serves as a reminder of the intriguing complexities that lie just beyond our understanding and the thrilling journey that awaits us in unraveling the mysteries of the cosmos.