Relation of black hole mass to cluster mass

Medium-size black holes actually do exist, according to the latest findings from NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, but scientists had to look in some unexpected places to find them. The previously undiscovered black holes provide an important link that sheds light on the way in which black holes grow. Even more odd, these new black holes were found in the cores of glittering, 'beehive' swarms of stars called globular star clusters, which orbit our Milky Way and other galaxies. The black hole in globular cluster M15 is 4, 000 times more massive than our Sun. G1, a much larger globular cluster, harbors a heftier black hole, about 20, 000 times more massive than our Sun.

Credit:

NASA/ESA and A. Feild (STScI)

About the Image

NASA press release
Id:opo0218f
Type:Artwork
Release date:17 September 2002, 18:00
Size:2686 x 2002 px

About the Object

Name:Black Hole Mass, Messier 15, NGC 7078
Type:Milky Way : Star : Evolutionary Stage : Black Hole
Milky Way : Star : Grouping : Cluster
Distance:35000 light years
Category:Illustrations
Quasars and Black Holes

Image Formats

r.titleLarge JPEG
625.4 KB
r.titleScreensize JPEG
151.8 KB

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