A joint observation by ESA’s X-ray space telescopes XMM-Newton and XRISM captured a bright X-ray flare from the supermassive black hole in the spiral galaxy NGC 3783, followed within hours by ultra-fast winds racing at about 60,000 km/s (roughly 20% of light speed).

The event shows AGNs can exhibit wind phenomena that are more Sun-like than previously thought, highlighting magnetism’s role in shaping galaxy evolution and star formation over cosmic timescales.

The black hole in NGC 3783’s active nucleus is about 30 million solar masses, where intense radiation drives winds and jets that influence the host galaxy’s evolution.

Context: The article underscores ongoing scientific journalism and invites readership support for continued science coverage.

Experts stress the importance of this observation for understanding how solar- and high-energy-physics concepts may operate similarly across the universe.

The finding results from a collaboration among ESA, JAXA, and NASA, with the study published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, continuing a long-standing partnership in extreme cosmic phenomena.

The study highlights the value of coordinated X-ray observations and suggests similar wind processes could illuminate broader questions about galactic history and supermassive black hole behavior.

Such winds inform feedback mechanisms in galaxies, as outflows can quench star formation by removing gas or trigger it via shock-induced compression.

One measured wind reached 60,000 km/s (about 130 million mph), illustrating the extreme speeds involved.