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Astronomers just watched a black hole twist spacetime
Researchers observed spacetime being twisted by a fast-spinning black hole during a tidal disruption event, confirming predictions of general relativity with repeated 20-day wobble signals.
- On December 18, 2025, astronomers detected spacetime dragged and twisted by a spinning black hole during the tidal disruption event AT2020afhd as the star formed an accretion disk.
- Einstein first proposed the idea in 1913 and Lense and Thirring formalized it in 1918, while the team led by the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences with Cardiff University confirmed predictions over 100 years old.
- By tracking repeating X-ray and radio patterns, the team combined Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array data, and electromagnetic spectroscopy to detect a 20 day disk–jet wobble.
- The study, appearing with DOI 10.1126/sciadv.ady9068, reports that the measurements support a key prediction of general relativity and could help study black hole spin and jet formation.
- The observation positions researchers to probe black hole mechanics and gravitomagnetism, as Dr. Cosimo Inserra described AT2020afhd's radio signal as evidence of a gravitomagnetic field.
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Sydney Morning Herald+3 Reposted by 3 other sources
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Astronomers just watched a black hole twist spacetime
Astronomers have detected spacetime itself being dragged and twisted by a spinning black hole for the first time. The discovery, seen during a star’s violent destruction, confirms a prediction made over 100 years ago and reveals new clues about how black holes spin and launch jets.
·United States
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Total News Sources15
Leaning Left6Leaning Right1Center2Last UpdatedBias Distribution67% Left
Bias Distribution
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L 67%
C 22%
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