Black hole consuming 10 times as much mass/minute as thought possible
Offline Hungry black hole eats faster than thought possible
Date:
October 8, 2014
Source:
International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR)
Summary:
Astronomers have discovered a black hole that is consuming gas from a nearby star 10 times faster than previously thought possible. The black hole -- known as P13 -- lies on the outskirts of the galaxy NGC7793 about 12 million light years from Earth and is ingesting a weight equivalent to 100 billion billion hot dogs every minute.
Excerpt:
He said scientists first noticed P13 because it was a lot more luminous than other black holes, but it was initially assumed that it was simply bigger.
"It was generally believed the maximum speed at which a black hole could swallow gas and produce light was tightly determined by its size," Dr Soria said.
"So it made sense to assume that P13 was bigger than the ordinary, less bright black holes we see in our own galaxy, the Milky Way."
When Dr Soria and his colleagues from the University of Strasbourg measured the mass of P13 they found it was actually on the small side, despite being at least a million times brighter than the Sun. It was only then that they realised just how much material it was consuming.
"There's not really a strict limit like we thought, black holes can actually consume more gas and produce more light," Dr Soria said.
Full article:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141008131340.htm
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
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Interesting that they use the phrase "is consuming". Considering that it is 12 million light years away, it should probably say "was". After 12 million years, is the star still there? Is the blackhole maintaining its rate?
If, if a white man puts his arm around me voluntarily, that's brotherhood. But if you - if you hold a gun on him and make him embrace me and pretend to be friendly or brotherly toward me, then that's not brotherhood, that's hypocrisy.- Malcolm X
I find the majority of articles dealing with significant distances tend to ignore those distances in the report, for some reason. It has been annoying me for years. Something witnessed in a object(s) 5 billion lightyears away 'just happened', instead of 'happened long ago'. I'm not sure if journalists or scientists are responsible. I'm inclined to blame journalists, but scientists could be doing it without thinking about it.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
i don't know. is it really possible to talk about time in any meaningful sense across such distances?
"I have never felt comfortable around people who talk about their feelings for Jesus, or any other deity for that matter, because they are usually none too bright. . . . Or maybe 'stupid' is a better way of saying it; but I have never seen much point in getting heavy with either stupid people or Jesus freaks, just as long as they don't bother me. In a world as weird and cruel as this one we have made for ourselves, I figure anybody who can find peace and personal happiness without ripping off somebody else deserves to be left alone. They will not inherit the earth, but then neither will I. . . . And I have learned to live, as it were, with the idea that I will never find peace and happiness, either. But as long as I know there's a pretty good chance I can get my hands on either one of them every once in a while, I do the best I can between high spots."
--Hunter S. Thompson
What would make it difficult to talk about time is not really the distances but any large velocity of the objects relative to the observer(us), leading to time apparently passing at significantly different rates for us and the objects observed due to relativistic effects.
Favorite oxymorons: Gospel Truth, Rational Supernaturalist, Business Ethics, Christian Morality
"Theology is now little more than a branch of human ignorance. Indeed, it is ignorance with wings." - Sam Harris
The path to Truth lies via careful study of reality, not the dreams of our fallible minds - me
From the sublime to the ridiculous: Science -> Philosophy -> Theology
you have a valid point and obviously your knowledge of this field surpasses mine.
"I have never felt comfortable around people who talk about their feelings for Jesus, or any other deity for that matter, because they are usually none too bright. . . . Or maybe 'stupid' is a better way of saying it; but I have never seen much point in getting heavy with either stupid people or Jesus freaks, just as long as they don't bother me. In a world as weird and cruel as this one we have made for ourselves, I figure anybody who can find peace and personal happiness without ripping off somebody else deserves to be left alone. They will not inherit the earth, but then neither will I. . . . And I have learned to live, as it were, with the idea that I will never find peace and happiness, either. But as long as I know there's a pretty good chance I can get my hands on either one of them every once in a while, I do the best I can between high spots."
--Hunter S. Thompson
I am thoroughly convinced that some people are human black holes. If you sit down to a dinner table and watch how they devour some huge sums of food, and wonder where it all goes as they are not over weight, it is not hard for me to imagine that some real black holes can do the same.
Sounds like you are describing us during our teenage years with our super fast metabolisms.
Yeah. when I was much younger I was like that; consumed three big macs, four fries, two shakes and never put on a single extra pound of fat. Ack! I used to eat McD's.
I still have that metabolism. It's great being able to eat whatever you want, but it also means you need to eat more than most just to keep going. Benefits include a higher resistance to illness and a quick capacity for regeneration. Drawbacks include being vulnerable to heat, and higher food bills.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
Ah, I remember those days