IN PHOTOS Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Mildmay, Collingwood and St. Thomas, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
When an earthquake happens underwater on Earth, it can create a tsunami - a ripple effect of gigantic proportions.
Now, a new study says that out in space, supermassive black holes may create tsunami-like structures.
The NASA-funded study was published on June 15 in the Astrophysical Journal. Researchers used computer simulations to model the environment of a supermassive black hole and found that tsunami-like structures can form through gas escaping the black hole’s gravitational pull.
NASA says these structures may be the largest tsunami-like structures in the universe.
A supermassive black hole has a mass that is greater than the mass of a million suns, and is considered the largest category of black holes. These black holes feed off matter and gases that swirl around them, forming a system that astrophysicists call the “active galactic nucleus.”
Strong winds driven by X-ray radiation from the centre of the nucleus create what astrophysics call an “outflow,” pushing matter out of the centre. Within the outflow, the X-rays can produce gas clouds around the black hole.
An artist's depiction of tsunami-like structures that may be created by supermassive black holes. (Illustration by Nima Abkenar)Illustration by Nima Abkenar
“These clouds are ten times hotter than the surface of the Sun and moving at the speed of the solar wind, so they are rather exotic objects that you would not want an airplane to fly through,” said lead author Tim Waters in a news release from NASA.
During the simulations, Waters and his team have found that these clouds can form into waves as the black hole loses grip on the matter. These waves can further spiral into vortex structures that are 10 light-years away from the black hole as they interact with hot winds, NASA says.
The simulations also shows that X-ray from the plasma near the black hole inflates pockets of heated gas within the black hole’s atmosphere, allowing the hot plasma to rise like a balloon and meet the surrounding cooler gas clouds.
This allows the clouds to form a pattern that astrophysicists call a Kármán vortex street, resembling a tsunami structure.
Previous theories have suggested that the clouds form spontaneously through fluid instability or that magnetic fields were involved in propelling cooler gas into the wind.
“While it all makes sense in hindsight, it was initially quite confusing to observe that thermal instability cannot produce cold gas directly, yet it can take the place of magnetic fields by lifting cold gas into the wind,” said Waters.
NASA says these findings have yet to be observed by satellites, but plasma near active galactic nuclei within these black holes have been observed by observatories on Earth at temperatures and speeds consistent with the simulations.
From London, to Mildmay, Collingwood and St. Thomas, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
The Netherlands' contestant in the Eurovision Song Contest was dramatically expelled from competition hours before Saturday's final of the pan-continental pop competition, which has been rattled by protests over the participation of Israel.
The rolling hills leading to the hamlet of Rosebud are dotted with sprawling farms and cattle pastures -- and a sign sporting a simple message: No Race Track.
Biden wants the 2024 election to be a referendum on Trump's record and plans, but he also wants voters to look favourably on his own policies and actions
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.
A cyclist turned herself in and received a fine after striking a four-year-old girl who was crossing the street to catch a school bus.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.