Science is Fun Fridays!
I have two cool bits for you all today.
Two years ago, scientists caught a picture of the shadow of a black hole. And now, they have measured the magnetic field around it, and have added those details to the original image.
They had discovered that much of the light surrounding this black hole was polarized, which they were able to use to determine the magnetic field.
Light waves wiggle, or oscillate, in all directions. But polarized light waves only wiggle on a single plane. Interactions between light and matter can influence the direction it takes, and magnetic fields are among such interactions.
Researchers believe that the magnetic field around this black hole (M87) are strong enough to push some of the gas falling into the hole back, allowing for some escape.
Deep in the Earth's core, scientists believe that fragments of another planet may still exist from when the two collided long, long ago.
The planet is called Theia, from Greek mythology, and is the mother of Selene, the Moon. It is believed this crash is what created our moon.
These areas were discovered previously through seismic tomography, and were found to be of low shear wave velocity, unlike the surrounding areas. One exists under west Africa and another is underneath the Pacific Ocean.
These dense pockets suggest, if they are Theia remnants, that the planet may have been as big as Earth and had a denser mantle.
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