Unprecedented sight: a massive black hole has tilted on its side due to a mysterious event (photo).

Astronomers utilized data from the Hubble and Chandra space telescopes to identify a supermassive black hole positioned on its side at the center of the lenticular galaxy NGC 5084. This means that its axis of rotation is parallel to the plane of the galaxy, a phenomenon never observed by astronomers before. The study has been published in The Astrophysical Journal, as reported by ScienceAlert.

The researchers examined the core of the lenticular galaxy NGC 5084, which is located 80 million light-years away from us. This galaxy has a width of 200,000 light-years, twice that of the Milky Way, and a mass equivalent to 1.3 trillion solar masses.

The existence of the supermassive black hole at the center of this galaxy was revealed through four long jets of plasma and X-ray emissions that burst from the galaxy's core, forming an X-shaped structure. According to astronomers, this is a sight they have never witnessed before.

The presence of these jets and emissions indicates that matter is being consumed by the enormous black hole. Some of this matter is ejected from the surrounding accretion disk, which is spiraled around the black hole. Two jets emerge above and below the plane of the galaxy, as would be expected if the black hole's equatorial plane were aligned with the galaxy's plane. However, the other two jets are embedded within the galactic disk, suggesting that the supermassive black hole initially existed in a normal position before tipping on its side. This means its axis of rotation became parallel to the plane of the galaxy.

Astronomers confirmed that the black hole is "lying" on its side by detecting an accretion disk surrounding the black hole, which is oriented perpendicularly to the galaxy's plane instead of being parallel to it.

Scientists are uncertain about what caused the black hole to tilt, with its axis of rotation now at a 90-degree angle to the galaxy's plane, but there is a hypothesis. It is possible that the NGC 5084 galaxy collided with another galaxy that also harbored a supermassive black hole in the past. This event may have led to the collision and merger of the two black holes, resulting in a significant influx of matter consumed by the black hole, an unusual ejection of plasma jets, and the peculiar positioning of the black hole.

Further observations are needed to determine the mysterious event that changed the fate of this supermassive black hole. Meanwhile, astronomers have discovered that the black hole at the center of the NGC 5084 galaxy has a mass approximately 46 million times that of the Sun.