4 ms·
> Gas in front of it gets shocked because of this supersonic, very high-velocity impact of the black hole moving through the gas. What's the speed of sound in
by Maursault 4y ago
> Gas in front of it gets shocked because of this supersonic, very high-velocity impact of the black hole moving through the gas.
What's the speed of sound in intergalactic space, anyway?
- pyinstallwoes 4y agoHyper liminal I’d say!
- vl 4y agoIt’s interesting that they used “supersonic” since phenomenon of sound emerges when there is enough molecules to collide with each other to transmit sound waves, which is not the case in the outer space. But most probable speed of hydrogen molecules at 2.7K is surprisingly low - 150m/s. This speed can be used as “sound” speed approximation in the intergalactic space.
- Maursault 4y agoThe use of "supersonic" was likely metaphor, but I thought it was funny coming from a scientist, as we expect them to usually speak literally with precise accuracy.