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The Hiccuping Supermassive Black Hole

Can binary black holes, two black holes orbiting each other, influence their respective behaviors? This is what a recent study published in Science Advances hopes to address as a team of more than two dozen international researchers led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) investigated how a smaller black hole orbiting a supermassive black hole could alter the outbursts of the energy being emitted by the latter, essentially giving it “hiccups”. This study holds the potential to help astronomers better understand the behavior of binary black holes while producing new methods in finding more binary black holes throughout the cosmos.

“We thought we knew a lot about black holes, but this is telling us there are a lot more things they can do,” said Dr. Dheeraj “DJ” Pasham, who is a research scientist in MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research and lead author of the study. “We think there will be many more systems like this, and we just need to take more data to find them.”

For the study, the researchers used a half dozen scientific instruments to obtain radio, ultraviolet, optical, and x-ray data on ASASSN-20qc, which is located approximately 260 megaparsecs (848,000,000 light-years) from Earth and was previously identified as a tidal disruption event (TDE) when first discovered in December 2020. The TDE responsible for astronomers first discovering ASASSN-20qc was caused by a star coming too close to the supermassive black hole and being slowly consumed over a four-month period. However, Dr. Pasham later looked over the data and found dips in energy output from the supermassive black hole occurring every 8.5 days throughout this four-month period.

Check Out Also: Top 5 Benefits of Investing in Gold During Periods of Inflation Growth

Combining this data with computer models, the researchers confirmed the 8.5-day bursts of energy being emitted by supermassive black hole, which they hypothesize is caused by the smaller black orbiting around the larger one, with its own gravity influencing the gas and energy within the supermassive black hole’s disk. The researchers compare this phenomenon to an exoplanet transiting its parent star, resulting in a brief dip in starlight. These findings indicate that the disks of gas around black holes are far more chaotic than longstanding hypotheses have claimed.

“This is a different beast,” said Dr. Pasham. “It doesn’t fit anything that we know about these systems. We’re seeing evidence of objects going in and through the disk, at different angles, which challenges the traditional picture of a simple gaseous disk around black holes. We think there is a huge population of these systems out there.”

The supermassive black hole examined in this study exists at the center of its respective galaxy similar to other supermassive black holes found through the cosmos, with Sagittarius A* being the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way Galaxy. However, finding another black hole orbiting the one examined in this study could help astronomers better understand the formation and evolution of supermassive black holes throughout the universe, with the study noting this research could lead to new methods in identifying binary black hole candidates, as well.

The reason astronomers are interested in learning more about binary black holes is the potential for them to teach us about gravitational waves, which were first proposed in the late 19^th and early 20^th century and gained traction in their existence and relevance through Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, as these gravitational waves have been hypothesized to create ripple in the fabric of spacetime. These gravitational waves are produced from the merging of binary black holes, with astronomers first detecting a black hole merger by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) and corresponding results published in Physical Review Letters in 2016.

Check Out Also: The Lunar Night Marks the End of the Odysseus Mission

What new discoveries will astronomers make about binary black holes in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!

As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!

Intellectuals Insider

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Is now the right time to invest in gold as prices have cooled?

Now may be the time to buy gold following a recent lull in its price.

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The price of gold has climbed to record highs recently and has remained strong through much of April. And, that growth continued until the precious metal traded at around $2,390 per ounce on April 19, 2024. But since, growth in the price of the precious metal has cooled, with gold’s price now hovering around $2,300 per ounce.

This lull in gold’s price may represent an investment opportunity.

In general, investing is centered around buying assets when prices are low and selling them when prices are high – generating a profit on the difference between the two. So, considering the declines in gold’s price over the past few days, now may be the time to make your investment. But is buying gold during this lull in prices really a good idea?

Compare your gold investment options among leading brokers now.

Gold prices have cooled. Should you buy in now?

With gold’s price down from recent highs, you may be wondering if now is the right time to buy in. There are several reasons the dip in gold’s price may represent an opportunity to buy. Here are some of the biggest:

Prices may rise again

If looking at a gold price chart shows anything for certain, it shows that changes in the overall growth of the medal come in fits and spurts. Periods of price growth are typically followed by periods of declines and vice versa.

But with inflation rising in recent months – and with gold’s reputation as a safe-haven asset that can hedge against inflation – it only makes sense that the price of the precious metal will eventually start to head up again in the future. While attempting to time that directional change may be tricky, buying the precious metal while the price is down gives you the opportunity to take advantage of any upward movement that may be ahead.

Add gold to your portfolio now before prices have a chance to rise.

You may be able to make a quick profit

Gold isn’t known as an asset in which you can earn a quick return, but in today’s market, that may be the case. Don’t forget that in January, gold was trading at just $2,000 per ounce. And, by mid-April, the commodity’s price had climbed to around $2,400 per ounce. That’s about 20% growth in a matter of months, much of which happened since March 1 – an impressive climb for any investment asset.

Perhaps more importantly, gold’s price growth through the beginning of 2024 shows that the commodity doesn’t have to be a buy and hold style investment that you keep in a safety deposit box or precious metal depository for years to come. There’s also the possibility that the commodity’s price could climb further ahead, making it a compelling way to potentially generate a quick profit.

There are other benefits of investing in gold

There are other benefits of investing in gold that have little to do with the price growth seen thus far in 2024 – or the lull in prices seen over the past couple of days. Those benefits include:

Inflation protection: Gold has long been considered an inflation hedge, and for good reason. When inflation drives the prices of consumer goods and services up – and the value of the dollar down – gold’s price tends to rise. So, it could be used to maintain the value of your portfolio during inflationary economic conditions. That’s important in today’s economic environment as stubborn inflation continues to weigh on the value of the dollar.
Portfolio diversification: Gold’s price doesn’t always move in the same pattern that bonds or stocks do. So, mixing a reasonable amount of gold into your portfolio (up to 10% of your portfolio assets) as a diversifier could protect you from losses should one or more of your traditional portfolio assets fall in value. “If you have less than 5% – 10% of your net worth in commodities & FX (forex), you should absolutely consider adding exposure to gold and other precious metals,” says Vijay Marolia, money manager and managing partner at the wealth management firm, Regal Point Capital.

The bottom line

Gold’s price has fallen from recent highs – which may represent an opportunity to tap into growth ahead. However, gold isn’t simply a “buy while it’s low and sell while it’s a high” kind of investment opportunity. The commodity can also protect your portfolio from the stubborn inflation we’ve seen thus far in 2024 while acting as a diversification tool that could increase your risk-adjusted portfolio returns. So, consider adding gold to your portfolio today while it has the potential to grow in value.

Joshua Rodriguez

Joshua Rodriguez is a personal finance and investing writer with a passion for his craft. When he’s not working, he enjoys time with his wife, two kids, two dogs and two ducks.