First Proof that "Plunging Regions" Exist Around Black Holes
22 May, 2024
An image of NuSTAR overlaid on an artist's illustration of an accreting black hole. This paper provides the first observational proof of material in the so-called "plunging region", between the inner edge of the accretion disk and the event horizon of the black hole. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
May 16, 2024
Using X-ray data from NASA's NuSTAR and NICER satellites to test a key prediction of Einstein’s theory of gravity, an international team of astrophysicists have published the first observational proof that a “plunging region” around black holes not only exists, but exerts some of the strongest gravitational forces yet identified in the galaxy.