kids encyclopedia robot

Image: PIA19822-MagneticBlackHoleWaves-AlfvenS-waves-20150709

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Original image ‎(1,000 × 1,250 pixels, file size: 180 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)

Description: PIA19822: Magnetic Black Hole Waves http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19822 This cartoon shows how magnetic waves, called Alfven S-waves, propagate outward from the base of black hole jets. The jet is a flow of charged particles, called a plasma, which is launched by a black hole. The jet has a helical magnetic field (yellow coil) permeating the plasma. The waves then travel along the jet, in the direction of the plasma flow, but at a velocity determined by both the jet's magnetic properties and the plasma flow speed. The BL Lac jet examined in a new study is several light-years long, and the wave speed is about 98 percent the speed of light.
Title: PIA19822-MagneticBlackHoleWaves-AlfvenS-waves-20150709
Credit: http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/jpeg/PIA19822.jpg
Author: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No

The following page links to this image:

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise.