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X-Ray Telescope Captures Huge Black Hole
AP ^ | January 6, 2003 | Paul Recer

Posted on 01/07/2003 11:58:36 AM PST by Pharmboy

SEATTLE - The supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way flares with intense eruptions every day as it gobbles up nearby gas, dust and objects. But the most sensitive X-ray images ever taken show it is starved and puny compared with black holes in other galaxies.

Astronomers using the Chandra X-ray telescope have captured images of intense flares streaking from the center of the Milky Way and said the violence comes from a supermassive black hole living on matter.

The study also suggests that the Milky Way's black hole is underfed when compared with the supermassive black hole of other galaxies, said Frederick K. Baganoff of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (news - web sites). He presented his study Monday at the national meeting of the American Astronomical Society.

Baganoff said the Milky Way's black hole spends much of its time quietly emitting X-rays about equal to all the energy streaming from the sun. But at least once a day the black hole suddenly flares, erupting with X-ray bursts 10 to 45 times more powerful than all the sun's energy. Then it settles down again, all within 90 minutes or less.

"No other supermassive black hole has shown this behavior," Baganoff said. "These frequent, short-duration flares are unique to the supermassive black hole in our galaxy."

Baganoff said the black hole may be starved because nearby star explosions in the past have blown away most of the gas and dust that would feed the black hole.

"Although it appears to snack often, this black hole is definitely on a severe diet," he said.

The black hole swallows mass equal to about one-billionth of the sun every year, but the mass available in the Milky Way suggests it should be sucking in about 100 times more matter.

The Chandra telescope also detected X-rays streaming from clouds and streaks of heated matter that may be the remnants of past meals. As matter is sucked into black hole, some of it is accelerated to near the speed of light and heated to 2 million degrees, flying off away from the galaxy center.

Streaks of X-rays just over one light year from the center was probably ejected recently, but other X-rays come from matter that may be been sent streaking away more than 10,000 years ago.

Most galaxies the size of the Milky Way are thought to contain supermassive black holes that form a gravitation center orbited by billions of stars.

Black holes are so dense with mass that their gravity will not allow anything, even light, to escape. They cannot be seen directly because they emit no radiation, but their immense gravity causes matter to spiral at high speeds toward the center, heating the material to millions of degrees and to radiate energy.

The Milky Way's black hole is thought to have about 3 million times the mass of the sun.

Bruce Margon, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute, said the Chandra X-ray study suggests the Milky Way's black hole is a "messy eater," expelling crumbs from past meals in the form of matter streaking away at high speed. The studies give fundamental new understanding about the behavior and history of black holes in general, he said.

___


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: astronomy; blackholes; universe
Don't SUVs cause this? Or is it hair spray? I forget...
1 posted on 01/07/2003 11:58:36 AM PST by Pharmboy
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To: Pharmboy
Huge black hole.... I think she represents Kalifornia...
2 posted on 01/07/2003 12:00:50 PM PST by evolved_rage
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To: Pharmboy
X-Ray Telescope Captures Huge Black Hole

Good, now destroy it!


3 posted on 01/07/2003 12:01:27 PM PST by Paul Atreides
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To: evolved_rage
Huge black hole.... I think she represents Kalifornia...

It says "huge black hole," not "huge black ho."

4 posted on 01/07/2003 12:02:18 PM PST by Paul Atreides
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To: Pharmboy
What's the over/under on the number of "Comment removed by moderator"s on this thread? :snicker:

-Eric

5 posted on 01/07/2003 12:03:22 PM PST by E Rocc
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To: Pharmboy
X-Ray Telescope Captures Huge Black Hole

When I first read this headline, I thought they were referring to Tom Daschle and Dick Gephardt. But, alas... it's a space telescope.
6 posted on 01/07/2003 12:03:38 PM PST by rs79bm
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To: Pharmboy
From the headline, I thought they had discovered Michael Moore.
7 posted on 01/07/2003 12:06:30 PM PST by TC Rider
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To: Pharmboy
And how far away is this black hole? The best that can be concluded is that what is seen today is what happened some considerable time ago. We have no idea what is going on today.
8 posted on 01/07/2003 12:08:30 PM PST by nightdriver
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To: nightdriver
Just think. Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.
That is as much sense as I make out of Astrophysics.
9 posted on 01/07/2003 12:12:15 PM PST by stanz
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To: Paul Atreides
I was thinking or Maxine Waters. And she is a 'hole.
10 posted on 01/07/2003 12:13:18 PM PST by evolved_rage
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To: evolved_rage
Every time I see Maxine Waters, I think of the crack-whores they arrest on COPS.
11 posted on 01/07/2003 12:17:30 PM PST by Paul Atreides
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To: aculeus; blam; thefactor
*PING*
12 posted on 01/07/2003 6:09:17 PM PST by Pharmboy
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To: Pharmboy
Bump for black holes.
13 posted on 01/07/2003 6:27:17 PM PST by blam
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To: Paul Atreides; WhyisaTexasgirlinPA
ROTFLMAO times the two guys I am working with tonight.
14 posted on 01/07/2003 6:29:52 PM PST by SeeRushToldU_So
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To: Pharmboy
Nothing to see here, move along... :)
15 posted on 01/07/2003 6:37:59 PM PST by weegee
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To: SeeRushToldU_So
I believe the black hole might be a 17 year old boy....... eating everything in sight, emitting gas, and making a mess........ sounds about right to me.....
16 posted on 01/07/2003 6:54:32 PM PST by WhyisaTexasgirlinPA ((Snow.....why am I in PA?)
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To: weegee
LESS than nothing...
17 posted on 01/07/2003 7:00:57 PM PST by Pharmboy
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To: Pharmboy
And a bump.
18 posted on 01/07/2003 7:29:50 PM PST by aculeus
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To: Pharmboy

19 posted on 01/10/2003 2:40:38 AM PST by The Raven (Is this here because of Chairman's note to JimRob?)
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