September 3, 2013
Black Hole On A Diet
Who knew black holes were picky eaters? Researchers say they now know why supermassive black holes at the center of galaxies, or simply SMBH’s, have such low accretion rates – meaning they take in very little of the cosmic gases surrounding them. Scientists used the Chandra X-ray Space Telescope to look at the closest SMBH to us, Sagittarius A, and found that it ejects 99% of the gas it takes in because it is too hot. Winds from massive stars nearby heat up the cosmic gases making these hotter gases more difficult for the black hole to pull in. So SMBHs are not glutinous gas eaters! And here I thought they just gobbled up anything.
[ Read the Article: Researchers Explain Why Supermassive Black Holes Eat Less Material Than Expected ]