It seems that we’ve just observed the central black hole of a galaxy eating a star.
The galaxy in question is 4 billion light years away and in the constellation Bootes.
This is apparently not an every day event. EXCERPTS:
Scientists used NASA’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer, an orbiting telescope sensitive to two bands of ultraviolet wave lengths, to detect an ultraviolet flare coming from the center of a remote elliptical galaxy.
"This ultraviolet flare was from a star literally being ripped apart and swallowed by the black hole," Suvi Gezari of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and lead author of the paper describing the findings in Astrophysical Journal Letters, said in an interview.
"This is the first time that we’ve actually been able to monitor the flare of radiation from such an event in detail. Only once every 10,000 years will a star pass close enough to a (galaxy’s) central black hole to be ripped apart and swallowed in this manner," Gezari said.
Scientists continue to use the telescope to observe the ultraviolet light as it fades while the black hole snacks on the final table scraps from the devoured star.
"We looked at the galaxy in 2003 and there was no ultraviolet light coming from the galaxy at all," Gezari said. "And then in 2004, we suddenly saw this very bright source."
"The only way to explain such a luminous ultraviolet flare is if the black hole swallowed a star," Gezari said.
Shades of last week’s Dr. Who come to mind.
Trippin’.
–Ann
The first line from the actual article:
A giant black hole displaying horrifying table manners has been caught in the act of guzzling a star in a galaxy 4 billion light-years away, scientists using an orbiting
NASA telescope said on Tuesday.
“horrifying table manners” – LOL!
I’m confused though – did that happen many trillion years ago, or since we just observed it, will it be happening many trillion years from now?
I’ve got a quantum headache.
…Suvi Gezari of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena…
I can’t stand it when folks say “California Institute of Technology in Pasadena” instead of simply “Cal-Tech”.
Does merely rendering it as “Cal-Tech” mean that we’re talking about a whole other institution altogether?!?!?!
Like the Dark Knight vs. the Cape Crusader???
Although, both actually refer back to Batman, for goodness sakes!!! ;^)
Since the galaxy is 4 billion light years away and we just observed the “burp”, I do believe the feasting did occur 4 billion years ago. One must wonder what is going on there now.
The constellation “Bootes”? Is that anywhere near the consellation “Pusse”?
Ann –
My thought’s exactly (although I just watched it last night on the ol’ DVR).
In a galaxy far, far away!!!!
Esau,
For those of us that don’t live in Southern California, we may not appreciate the sublime subtle difference between Cal-Tech (California Institute of Technology) where they work on spaceships and satelites and NorthEast Tech(NorthEast Nebraska Technical School)where they work on V-8’s and tractors.
and following your flow of logic, why don’t they call it CIT (California Institute of Technology) just like MIT (Massachusetts Insitute of Technology)?
I guess you are thinking along the lines of like Texas Tech and Virginia Tech.
From the Mayans to Galileo the science of astronomy has always depended on the skills of the technical illustrator to make things no one can see exciting and real.
TIM M:
I was referring to the fact that a person can refer to the California Institute of Technology as:
(1) California Institute of Technology or
(2) CalTech
Yet, regardless, either of the names above refer back to the same object, California Institute of Technology.
Similarly:
(1) Dark Knight
(2) The Cape Crusader
Though different, these refer back to the same object, batman.
That is, a person can refer to Batman as either the Dark Knight or the Cape Crusader and, yet, they both refer back to the same thing.
Put it this way, you can refer to Batman as the Dark Knight. I can refer to Batman as the Cape Crusader. Although we may be referring to him by different names, nonetheless, they refer back to the same person, batman.
Further:
You can refer to the California Institute of Technology as the California Institute of Technology, while I, on the other hand, can refer to it simply as CalTech; although we may be referring to it by different names, nevertheless, they refer back to the same place, the California Institute of Technology.
TIM M:
Moreover, just because you don’t know that the California Institute of Technology is also CalTech doesn’t negate the fact that both the “California Institute of Technology” and “CalTech” both refers back to the same place, the California Institute of Technology.
Let’s revisit the Dark Knight vs. Cape Crusader model:
You may use “Dark Knight” to refer to Batman but may not be familiar with “The Cape Crusader” as also referring back to Batman.
However, just because you aren’t aware of this doesn’t actually negate the fact that both “Dark Knight” and “The Cape Crusader” still refer back to the same person, Batman, regardless.
The epithet ‘Dark Knight’ makes me think of the Black Knight from Monty Python. 😀
As an aside, is there a possibility that we will get sucked by a Black Hole near us?
Patrick,
I believe calculations show that our Sun and its planets would possibly be sucked into a black hole in ~10 billion years. Before this happens in ~ 5 billion years, the Sun will burn up all its hydrogen and turn into a red giant consuming earth and the other inner planets.
http://www3.iptv.org/exploremore/energy/Energy_In_Depth/sections/sun.cfm
A fiery second coming to say the least!!
My understanding of Astonomy is close to that of astrology but if black holes keep eating the whole universe will we one day be one big black hole?
(…and does this mean I can hold off on my credit card payments?)
No, it is I who will eat you!
And I thought I had a big appetite.
Poor star! I wonder if that’s what the angels who rejected God felt like when they were cast into Hell.
I guess it’s just best to stay as far away from black holes as possible — and sin for that matter.
What sorts of things can defeat a black hole?
What sorts of things can defeat a black hole?
Disney making such cheesy movies like “The Black Hole”! (although, as a kid, I did dig that robot in it!)
I do believe that would be “Caped Crusader”, not to be confused with the “Coped Crusader”, defender of wood molding.
My understanding of Astonomy is close to that of astrology but if black holes keep eating the whole universe will we one day be one big black hole?
It could happen, but most scientists today think that the universe is too big/not massive enough for this to happen (the black holes won’t be powerful enough to draw the entire universe in.)
My understanding of Astonomy is close to that of astrology but if black holes keep eating the whole universe will we one day be one big black hole?
It could happen, but most scientists today think that the universe is too big/not massive enough for this to happen (the black holes won’t be powerful enough to draw the entire universe in.)
I would readily submit that the whole universe is actually contained in a jelly bean in a jelly bean jar on God’s desk! The black hole that everybody’s so worried about is actually God’s mouth munching down on one of the ends of those jelly beans — namely, ours! ;^)
Time. To the best of our current understanding, they slowly evaporate via Hawking Radiation. Though for the large ones like this monster, it’ll take a very, very long time indeed — the larger the black hole, the more slowly it evaporates.
“What sorts of things can defeat a black hole?”
A Tardus?
Jimmy, this is the test post you asked me for.
“Jimmy, this is the test post you asked me for.”
WHA???
Some Orcs from Mordor had infiltrated the ether, preventing some of us from posting anything. Jimmy unsheathed Glamdring and they fled in fear.
Ohhhhhhh.
David, not Dvaid.
‘What sorts of things can defeat a black hole?’
I guess time, and running away at the Speed of Light.
The Monsterous Citizens of Glorgdogorogrer (pronounced as CHEE-SE) used a Black Hole (Which in their language is Blogprodofodor, pronounced as HAM-M AND CHEE-SE) to transport things into a different time and space, thus proving the theory of Time Travel in Black Holes.
The Scientists happened to track their transportation of a star using the Holy Telescope of Goferousgrer (pronounced as PIZ-ZA WITH FRIED-D BAC-CON).
They then informed Jimmy of this matter, then he reported it here. 😀