Scientists find black hole 660 million times the sun’s size
Q. Scientists have measured a monster black hole at the center of a galaxy at 73 million light years from earth. How big is this black hole?- Published on 09 May 16a. 660 million times the sun
b. 560 million times the sun
c. 460 million times the sun
d. None of the above
ANSWER: 660 million times the sun
These groundbreaking observations were made with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile by an international team of scientists that includes Rutgers associate professor Andrew J. Baker.
- ALMA, the world's largest astronomical project, is a telescope with 66 radio antennas about 16,400 feet above sea level.
- To measure NGC 1332's central black hole, scientists tapped ALMA's high-resolution observations of carbon monoxide emissions from a giant disc of cold gas orbiting the hole. They also measured the speed of the gas.
- They were able to determine the speed of a disk of cold molecular gas and dust orbiting the supermassive black hole at the heart of galaxy NGC 1332.
- The researchers calculated the black hole’s mass to be 660 million times greater than that of the Sun.
