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Sleeping Black Hole Wakes To Devour Passing Star
sky.com ^
Posted on 06/26/2016 6:48:55 AM PDT by BenLurkin
It happened about 3.9 billion light years from Earth in the direction of the Draco constellation, and was spotted using high-energy X-ray data from NASA's public archives.
The black hole, with a mass a few million times larger than the sun, gorged on the star at a rate 100 times greater than a theoretical maximum known as the Eddington limit.
The majority of supermassive black holes are dormant, meaning they are not actively consuming matter.
But occasionally a star drifts too close to a dormant black hole and a 'tidal disruption event' begins.
Authors of the new research say their findings could solve the mystery of how the largest black holes in the universe came to grow to such huge sizes.
The study's lead author Erin Kara, from the University of Maryland, said: "Most tidal disruption events don't emit much in the high-energy X-ray band.
"But there have been at least three known events that have, and this is the first and only such event that has been caught at its peak."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.sky.com ...
TOPICS: Astronomy
KEYWORDS: stringtheory
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1
posted on
06/26/2016 6:48:55 AM PDT
by
BenLurkin
To: BenLurkin
Sleeping Black Hole Wakes To Devour Passing StarObviously caused by Climate Change®
2
posted on
06/26/2016 6:51:37 AM PDT
by
IncPen
(Hey Media: Bias = Layoffs)
To: BenLurkin
"It happened about 3.9 billion light years from Earth ..."And "a long time ago in a Galaxy far, far away".
'Tis a strange universe that we inhabit.
3
posted on
06/26/2016 6:58:27 AM PDT
by
InterceptPoint
(Still a Cruz Fan but voting for Trump)
To: BenLurkin
“Draco’’, the Dragon. Makes sense. I wouldn't want to wake up a black hole. Might p!ss it off.
4
posted on
06/26/2016 6:59:42 AM PDT
by
jmacusa
("Dats all I can stands 'cuz I can't stands no more!''-- Popeye The Sailorman.)
To: IncPen
Since what’s described happened 3.9 billion years ago our time (took the light that long to reach us) it’s not certain there were bacteria around, much less nasty SUV’s and backyard grills.
5
posted on
06/26/2016 6:59:55 AM PDT
by
katana
To: IncPen
6
posted on
06/26/2016 7:00:25 AM PDT
by
jmacusa
("Dats all I can stands 'cuz I can't stands no more!''-- Popeye The Sailorman.)
To: SunkenCiv
To: BenLurkin
"and a 'tidal disruption event' begins"Galactic democrats
8
posted on
06/26/2016 7:04:15 AM PDT
by
DannyTN
To: jmacusa
Funny, he’s never pissed off when Reggie Love wakes him up...
...maybe quite the opposite?
9
posted on
06/26/2016 7:08:54 AM PDT
by
null and void
(Hillary Milhouse Clinton: I'm not a c-c-c-crook! Crook! Yeah, that's the c-word I was looking for!)
To: BenLurkin
...gorged on the star at a rate 100 times greater than a theoretical maximum known as the Eddington limit.
That pesky reality vs. theory thing...
10
posted on
06/26/2016 7:14:06 AM PDT
by
BitWielder1
(I'd rather have Unequal Wealth than Equal Poverty.)
To: BitWielder1
Man, talk about heartburn!
To: BenLurkin
There’s a metaphor here....
12
posted on
06/26/2016 7:19:33 AM PDT
by
Ciexyz
("You know who gets hurt? The people who worked hard, lived frugally, and saved their money."- Trump)
To: BenLurkin
How did they know it was sleeping? Did it have a “Do not disturb “ sign out?
13
posted on
06/26/2016 7:24:57 AM PDT
by
AFreeBird
(BEST. ELECTION. EVER!)
To: Ciexyz
Like an alligator snapping on a duck.
14
posted on
06/26/2016 7:26:45 AM PDT
by
Trumpet 1
(US Constitution is my guide.)
To: BenLurkin
The headline and the artist’s impression try to give the impression that black holes are magic. They are just a collection of matter so dense that photons can’t escape from the gravity.
There’s no magic wormhole leading to another place. Just a big black object that collects other objects and grows.
15
posted on
06/26/2016 7:45:28 AM PDT
by
FXRP
To: BitWielder1
Can’t be! The computer models all say this is how it works... ;-)
16
posted on
06/26/2016 8:24:22 AM PDT
by
ThunderSleeps
(Stop obarma now! Stop the hussein - insane agenda!)
To: BenLurkin
All who dare
To cross her course
Are swallowed by
A fearsome force
17
posted on
06/26/2016 8:27:11 AM PDT
by
deadrock
(I is someone else.)
To: BenLurkin
Like some hapless bug that unknowingly steps on a strand if a spider’s web...on a slightly larger scale.
18
posted on
06/26/2016 8:42:09 AM PDT
by
Ancesthntr
("The right to buy weapons the right to be free." A. E. van Vogt)
To: fieldmarshaldj; 6SJ7; AdmSmith; AFPhys; Arkinsaw; allmost; aristotleman; autumnraine; bajabaja; ...
19
posted on
06/26/2016 9:48:23 AM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(I'll tell you what's wrong with society -- no one drinks from the skulls of their enemies anymore.)
To: FXRP
20
posted on
06/26/2016 10:05:59 AM PDT
by
victim soul
(victim soul)
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