Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:52:53 +1030
Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>
"Weighing the black hole at the center of the Milky Way
Over the past decades, the black hole has gone from a theoretical
construct to the subject of observation. Obviously, it's impossible to
observe an object that traps light itself, but it has been possible to
observe some of the matter in its immediate neighborhood and use those
observations to make inference about the black hole itself. Although
small black holes can form during the death of stars, the most
significant black hole anywhere close to the earth is the one at the
center of our galaxy—knowing more about its properties can help us
explore a variety of issues in cosmology and relativity. Researchers
have now tracked a star, called S0-2, though most of its orbit around
our galaxy's black hole, and provide a new estimate for both its mass
and distance."
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081210-weighing-the-black-hole-at-the-center-of-the-milky-way.html
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
Over the past decades, the black hole has gone from a theoretical
construct to the subject of observation. Obviously, it's impossible to
observe an object that traps light itself, but it has been possible to
observe some of the matter in its immediate neighborhood and use those
observations to make inference about the black hole itself. Although
small black holes can form during the death of stars, the most
significant black hole anywhere close to the earth is the one at the
center of our galaxy—knowing more about its properties can help us
explore a variety of issues in cosmology and relativity. Researchers
have now tracked a star, called S0-2, though most of its orbit around
our galaxy's black hole, and provide a new estimate for both its mass
and distance."
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081210-weighing-the-black-hole-at-the-center-of-the-milky-way.html
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
