NASA Scientists Identify Smallest Known Black Hole
If you want to know the universe's ultimate tough guys, look no further than black holes. These strange objects gobble up gas from their surroundings, and sometimes swallow entire stars. But a black hole's gravity is so powerful that nothing, not even light, can escape its grasp.
But just as Olympic boxing teams have their flyweights, somewhere out there in the depths of space exists the lightest black hole in the universe. It's still a tough guy, but it's smaller and lighter than all other members of its kind.
Astronomers may never find the universe's lightest black hole, but in results announced on March 31, they have come close. Nikolai Shaposhnikov and Lev Titarchuk, who work at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., have identified the smallest known black hole in the universe. This black hole would weigh the same as 3.8 of our Suns if it could be put on a giant scale.
(Read full article...) |
