Astronomers: A black hole weighing 8,200 solar masses likely sits at the center of the Milky Ways’ largest globular cluster
Click for original image.
By analyzing the motion of seven fast moving stars at the center of the globular cluster Omega Centauri, the largest such cluster in the Milky Way and located about 18,000 light years away, astronomers now think they have detected evidence of an intermediate-sized black hole weight at least 8,200 solar masses.
You can read the published paper here. [pdf] The picture of Omega Centauri to the right, reduced and sharpened to post here, was created from more than 500 images taken over two decades by the Hubble Space Telescope. The inset, figure 1b of the paper, shows those seven fast-moving stars in pink, each having an arrow indicating the distance they are expected to move in a 100 years. The dashed circle marks the region where the black hole is believed to reside, with the dark blue cross in its upper left quadrant the most likely position of the black hole based on calculations.
From the caption for the larger Omega Centauri Hubble image:
Omega Centauri is visible from Earth with the naked eye and is one of the favourite celestial objects for stargazers in the southern hemisphere. Although the cluster is 17 700 light-years away, lying just above the plane of the Milky Way, it appears almost as large as the full Moon when seen from a dark rural area.
Though such intermediate-sized black holes have been theorized as existing inside globular clusters, I think this is the first real evidence of one.
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In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
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Click for original image.
By analyzing the motion of seven fast moving stars at the center of the globular cluster Omega Centauri, the largest such cluster in the Milky Way and located about 18,000 light years away, astronomers now think they have detected evidence of an intermediate-sized black hole weight at least 8,200 solar masses.
You can read the published paper here. [pdf] The picture of Omega Centauri to the right, reduced and sharpened to post here, was created from more than 500 images taken over two decades by the Hubble Space Telescope. The inset, figure 1b of the paper, shows those seven fast-moving stars in pink, each having an arrow indicating the distance they are expected to move in a 100 years. The dashed circle marks the region where the black hole is believed to reside, with the dark blue cross in its upper left quadrant the most likely position of the black hole based on calculations.
From the caption for the larger Omega Centauri Hubble image:
Omega Centauri is visible from Earth with the naked eye and is one of the favourite celestial objects for stargazers in the southern hemisphere. Although the cluster is 17 700 light-years away, lying just above the plane of the Milky Way, it appears almost as large as the full Moon when seen from a dark rural area.
Though such intermediate-sized black holes have been theorized as existing inside globular clusters, I think this is the first real evidence of one.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
Thanks to the image processing power of today’s computers, simply put we are living in the most exciting time of astronomical investigation in human history.
Today’s Astronomy Picture Of The Day :
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240711.html
(a site I visit daily, just before coming here…)
Above the plane of the Milky Way to a south of the equator observer.
This stuff becomes confusing if you think about it too much.
North ain’t necessarily up.
I understand this cluster is considered a dwarf galaxy which just happened to orbit inside this our galaxy. That there’s a galaxy-class ‘hole in there just adds to the evidence.
Cannot wait to see profound impact of SCOTUS decision calling for daily counting of ballots in Georgia and comparing the vote numbers listed to the ballots cast. This should halt “extra” ballots appearing from thin air.
Indeed if this is successful there will be many states adopting a similar rule.
how much does a “solar mass” weigh?
tim ferrel: The mass of our own star, the Sun.
David Ross wrote: “I understand this cluster is considered a dwarf galaxy which just happened to orbit inside this our galaxy.”
I did not know that. We all learn something every day, and that is my something for the day. I’m going back to bed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_Centauri
_________________
Jeff,
Is that coincidental?
_________________
tim ferrell asked: “how much does a ‘solar mass’ weigh?”
Mass:
1.9885×10^30 kg
4.3839×10^30 lb
332,950 Earths
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun
Gee, with all those zeroes, adding four more seems less impressive than it did while reading Robert‘s post.
Good news: the Sun is on a diet and is losing weight at a tremendous rate:
https://live-counter.com/sun/
5×10^20 seconds, or around 16 trillion years, before it “burns” its last proton (maybe someone should verify that I correctly counted the number of zeroes and correctly converted the percent). My plan is to be somewhere else when that happens.
Now I’m going back to bed.
North ain’t necessarily up.
I bought an “upside-down” world map, just because. Click my name for the picture.