Where Did That Black Hole Come From?

Medium-size black holes actually do exist, according to the latest findings from the 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.

G1 is a large globular cluster and harbors a hefty black hole, about 20, 000 times more massive than our Sun.

Credit:

NASA/ESA and Michael Rich (UCLA)

About the Image

NASA press release
Id:opo0218c
Type:Observation
Release date:17 September 2002, 18:00
Size:473 x 628 px

About the Object

Name:G1, Mayall II
Type:Milky Way : Star : Grouping : Cluster : Globular
Distance:2 million light years
Constellation:Andromeda
Category:Star Clusters

Image Formats

r.titleLarge JPEG
131.5 KB
r.titleScreensize JPEG
278.6 KB

Coordinates

Position (RA):0 32 46.66
Position (Dec):39° 34' 40.03"
Field of view:0.36 x 0.48 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 79.3° left of vertical


Colours & filters

BandWavelengthTelescope
Optical
B
450 nm Hubble Space Telescope
STIS
Optical
R
750 nm Hubble Space Telescope
STIS
Optical
V
555 nm Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2
Infrared
I
814 nm Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2

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