Animation: Intermediate-mass Black Hole Gravitationally Shredding a Star | NASA
This video is an illustration of an intermediate-mass black hole capturing and gravitationally shredding a star. It begins by zooming into a pair of galaxies. The galaxy at lower left, NGC 6099, contains a dense star cluster at center. The video then zooms into the heart of the cluster, showing a close-up of the black hole. A star wanders near the black hole and is gravitationally torn apart in a burst of radiation.
The NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope has revealed that most galaxies have supermassive black holes at their centers, but there is a mysterious middle category that has been challenging to find—intermediate mass black holes. These elusive objects only are incredibly difficult to detect.
Hubble and NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory teamed up to study one of these rare items in galaxy NGC 6099. Chandra detected scorching X-rays at three million degrees while Hubble revealed an incredibly dense cluster of stars packed together, creating the perfect feeding ground for a hungry black hole.
This discovery shows how different space telescopes working together across wavelengths can unveil the complete story of these cosmic phenomena, helping us understand the full spectrum of black holes shaping our universe.
NGC 6099 is a elliptical galaxy in the Hercules constellation. It is located close to the celestial equator and is partly visible from Earth's southern and northern hemispheres at certain times of year.
Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: July 24, 2025
No comments:
Post a Comment