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| In the case of a stellar size black hole, matter can be drawn in from a companion star | In the case of a stellar size black hole, matter can be drawn in from a companion star | ||
| producing an ] and large amounts of ]. | producing an ] and large amounts of ]. | ||
| Galaxy-mass black holes are found in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). They are thought to have the mass of about 10 to 100 billion Suns! The mass of one of these supermassive black holes has recently been measured using radio astronomy. X-ray observations of iron in the accretion disks may actually be showing the effects of massive black holes as well. | Galaxy-mass black holes are found in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). They are thought to have the mass of about 10 to 100 billion Suns! The mass of one of these supermassive black holes has recently been measured using radio astronomy. X-ray observations of iron in the accretion disks may actually be showing the effects of massive black holes as well. | ||
Revision as of 20:52, 13 December 2001
Black holes are objects so dense that not even light can escape their gravity and, since nothing can travel faster than light, nothing can escape from inside a black hole.
Two parts of a black hole are the event horizon and the singularity.
Black holes have no hair.
Observational evidence for black holes
Nevertheless, there is now a great deal of observational evidence for the existence of two types of black holes: those with masses of a typical star (4-15 times the mass of our Sun), and those with masses of a typical galaxy. This evidence comes not from seeing the black holes directly, but by observing the behavior of stars and other material near them!
In the case of a stellar size black hole, matter can be drawn in from a companion star
producing an accretion disk and large amounts of X-rays.
Galaxy-mass black holes are found in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). They are thought to have the mass of about 10 to 100 billion Suns! The mass of one of these supermassive black holes has recently been measured using radio astronomy. X-ray observations of iron in the accretion disks may actually be showing the effects of massive black holes as well.