16 January 2007
dailygalaxy.com -- Supermassive black holes, according to new research, are approaching the speed of light. Nine galaxies were examined by NASA using the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and found each to contain black holes pumping out jets of gas in to the surrounding space.
"We think these monster black holes are spinning close to the limit set by Einstein's theory of relativity, which means that they can drag material around them at close to the speed of light," said Rodrigo Nemmen, the study's lead author.
Einstein’s theory of relativity suggests that spinning black holes would make the space around it rotate. The subsequent effects affecting the immediate region forces gas to spiral in towards the black hole. This influx of gas consequently creates a magnetic field that shoots inflowing gas back out as a jet, before it is lost within the hole itself.
Source: http://tinyurl.com/2fgu4g