NASA Space Telescope Discovers 10 Monster Black Holes

Space.com ^ | September 11, 2013 | Elizabeth Howell

[lbryce]

This optical color image of galaxies is seen overlaidwith X-ray data (magenta) from NASA's
black hole-hunting NuSTAR space telescope. The arrow points to magenta blobs indicating
giant, supermassive black holes discovered by the space telescope.

A powerful NASA space telescope has found not one, but 10 monster black holes lurking in the hearts of distant galaxies — the first major finds for the X-ray space observatory, scientists say.

The discoveries, which scientists say occurred "serendipitously," were made as astronomers reviewed images from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), an X-ray space telescope designed specifically to hunt black holes.

"We were looking at known targets and spotted the black holes in the background of the images," David Alexander, a professor with Durham University's physics department, said in a statement.

Then the team confirmed what they saw with observations from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton satellite, which also can look at low-energy light.

The 10 black holes discovered are just the beginning of hundreds of expected finds, the scientists added. With every supermassive black hole catalogued, scientists are hoping to better understand the population.

[lbryce]

Quick. Somebody get a hold of the guy who named an asteroid after dead-Trayvon.Can they actually name allten black holes after him?. 'deadTrayvon Black Hole Cluster' is a name that would warm the cockles of a left-winged liberal's heart to no end.

[RedMDer]

CBC?

[barmag25]

The first one should be named after Detroit

[GraceG]

NASA telescope is racis

[JRios1968]

Somebody get a hold of the guy who named an asteroid after dead-Trayvon.Can they actually name allten black holes after him?

Only one...after all, Trayvon got only ONE bullet hole in him

[South40]

Is one of them named “Michelle”?

[South40]

Only one...after all, Trayvon got only ONE bullet hole in him

He got no more (or less) than he deserved.

[lurk]

Hmm. Apparently we’re not the first galaxy to have experienced the results of collectivism.

[lbryce]

‘Monster Black Hole Cluster with 10 Black Holes’ pings list

[Puppage]

Monster Black Holes

Oh, wait....black holes. Never mind.

[Old Sarge]

[al baby]

DO NOT GOOGLE MONSTER BLACK HOLES without safe search on

[dfwgator]

[Puppage]

DO NOT GOOGLE MONSTER BLACK HOLES without safe search on

LOL

Mussssst.......not.......comment.

[b4its2late]

For sure.

[dfwgator]

I suspect they look like something out of Players Magazine.

[Darksheare]

The Barakula cluster

[PoloSec]

No telescope needed to see the monster black hole in the white-house.

[Farnsworth]

It’s pointed at Washington DC?

[bravo whiskey]

the telescope is looking at washington dc?