The black hole that cannot stop eating

FT.com ^ | January 7 2005 | Clive Cookson

[holymoly]

Astronomers have recorded the most powerful eruption of energy yet observed in the universe. It comes from a gigantic black hole, a billion times more massive than our sun, which is swallowing vast amounts of material from its surrounding galaxy.

The eruption was discovered with the Chandra X-ray observatory operated by Nasa, the US space agency, and is reported in the journal Nature. Brian McNamara of Ohio University, the study leader, said he had previously observed vast cosmic bubbles of hot gas extending outward from "supermassive" black holes in distant galaxies, but "what literally almost knocked me off my chair was the scale, the magnitude of this one".

It is not yet clear where all the matter required to sustain the eruption is coming from, nor how the black hole can digest it. "It's like a 300lb person eating 100lb of meat in one sitting," says Prof McNamara.

Co-author Paul Nulsen of the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics uses a similar analogy. "This new result is as surprising as it is exciting," he says. "This black hole is feasting when it should be fasting." The new study supports recent theories that supermassive black holes have a big impact on the structure of the universe. The black hole occupies a volume of space about the same size as our solar system but it affects a volume of space about 600 times the size of the whole Milky Way galaxy. "From this tiny region of space, the energy is spread out over enormous distances," Prof McNamara says.

[holymoly]

"It's like a 300lb person eating 100lb of meat in one sitting,"

So it's like Michael Moore? 

[Petronski]

This thread was going to be the perfect race to post the first picture of Lumpy Reifenstahl, but you beat us all to the punch.

[xrp]

Capt Picard couldn't be reached for comment.

[martin_fierro]

The black 'hole that cannot stop eating

Oh.

[Hoosier-Daddy]

Excellent!

[Conservative Firster]

When I saw the headline I thought the story was about the Federal budget!

[Republican Wildcat]

I knew something about Michael Moore would be on here.

[No Longer Free State]

Oh. I thought this was a Kirsti Ally thread.

[holymoly]

Oh. I thought this was a Kirsti Ally thread.

Actually, my first thought was Whoopi Goldberg. But then I realized it said black "hole".

[mad_as_he$$]

Now quit that, I haven't peed my pants since I was very small. You almost made it happen again!

[zencat]

[tfecw]

The black hole occupies a volume of space about the same size as our solar system but it affects a volume of space about 600 times the size of the whole Milky Way galaxy.

That is unbelievable. Every time i try to think about that my brain oozes out of my ears. Which is why i can't see Moooore's picture. No seriously....the size of our solar system. And when you think a black hole is super compact (no air bubbles in that mess) so if you took all that matter and uncompressed it...dang

[timestax]

[zencat]

That is unbelievable. Every time i try to think about that my brain oozes out of my ears.

Sounds like the Total Perspective Vortex, ala Douglas Adams.

[ProudVet77]

Sometimes I think that the big bang was a result of the last black hole in the universe swallowing the very last bit of matter and energy in the universe then burping.

[No Longer Free State]

so if you took all that matter and uncompressed it...dang

Or...Bang. A BIG one.

[UCANSEE2]

You just had to put that picture in my head.

Thanks.

Watch for future news bit: Evil Conservative, addicted to the VRWC banner website FREE REPUBLIC, has head explode within hours of reading very disturbing article from that source.

Government considering ban of website due to lethal articles.

[ForGod'sSake]

News?

[kb2614]

Bush's fault.

[longshadow]

evil astronomy ping