The hypothetical structure mentioned by the scientist Einstein in 1915 has been confirmed near a wormhole located 10,000 light-years away from us.
According to Live Science, new X-ray observations made by NASA’s NuSTAR and NICER space telescopes have identified a “downward region,” where matter is intensely affected by the deadly gravitational forces of wormholes.
A black hole is a type of wormhole possessing a “downward region” – (Image: AI).
In 1915, Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity predicted that once matter comes close enough to a black hole, the immense gravitational force of the wormhole will compel it to abandon its circular orbit and plunge directly into it.
This is known as the “downward region.”
To identify such a real structure, a team of scientists from the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford (UK) turned their attention to a black hole named MAXI J1820+070, which is part of a binary system approximately 10,000 light-years from Earth.
This black hole represents the most common type of wormhole in the universe.
The researchers discovered X-rays emitted from the scorched material of the accretion disk surrounding this black hole.
By inputting their X-ray data into mathematical models, they found that the data only matched if the models included light emitted from the matter in the downward region, thereby confirming its existence.
The downward region can be understood as where the stream of material around the black hole suddenly encounters a waterfall, plunging down abruptly. Alternatively, it is like a highway where matter flows into the black hole’s belly faster and more violently.
By collecting and further studying the light from this cosmic waterfall, the researchers stated that they would gain unprecedented insights into the extreme conditions surrounding black holes.
These downward regions are located just outside the event horizon of the black hole, marking the points of “no return,” where gravitational forces become so strong that even light cannot escape.
