Astronomers spot light from behind a black hole for the first time — proving Einstein right, again
For the first time ever, astronomers have directly detected light from behind a supermassive black hole . The discovery proves Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity was right — again .
Using the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton and NASA's NuSTAR space telescopes, researchers were observing the black hole as it flung X-rays out into the universe. The black hole is about 10 million times more massive than our sun, and is located in the center of a nearby spiral galaxy called I Zwicky, 1,800 million light-years away from Earth.
After observing a series of bright flares of X-rays, something unprecedented occurred — more flashes that were smaller, later and different "colors" than their predecessors. According to a study published this week in the journal Nature, the "echoes" of light appeared consistent with X-rays reflected from behind the black hole — a very strange place for light to originate.
Black holes' gravitational pulls are so powerful that light cannot escape them. However, light can "echo," wrapping around the back of the celestial phenomenon and allowing astronomers to see it.
