VISUAL ARCHIVE / IMAGE STORY
Two Histories for Black-Hole Spin
Simulations explore how accretion and mergers can leave different spin populations.
Gas accretion and black-hole mergers can affect spin in different ways. The Horizon-AGN study predicts statistical differences associated with merger history. AI-generated illustration of gas-fed growth, rather than a measurement of Sagittarius A.*
THE OBSERVATION
What we can actually see.
The Horizon-AGN work models black-hole spin histories statistically and reports differences for merger-free and merger-affected populations. Such population modeling is separate from measuring the spin of our Galactic Center black hole.
THE ILLUSTRATION
What the artwork imagines.
The feeding disk and implied biography of Sagittarius A* are invented for this image. A simulation trend cannot assign its exact past accretion or merger history.
FROM THE ILLUSTRATED ARTICLE
The story that inspired it.
The article follows S301’s observed orbit and the future prospect of measuring Sagittarius A* spin from repeated passages. Simulations explore how accretion and mergers can leave different spin populations.
Read The Star Our Black Hole KeptCHECK THE RECORD
The image interprets the research below. Follow the original work for the measurements and limits behind the scene.
Horizon-AGN spin population studyOTHER IMAGE STORIES
S301 at the Edge of Strong Gravity
The Companion We Have Not Found
The Mark Shared by Titan and Pluto