Browse by Tags

• Chandra

08 May 2008
Stars Orbiting Close to Black Holes Flattened like Hot Pancakes

Playing with black holes is a risky business, especially for a star that is unlucky enough to be orbiting one. Assuming an unfortunate star hasn't already had all of its hydrogen fuel and other component elements stripped from its surface, the powerful tidal forces will have some fun with the doomed stellar body. First the [...]

Share this post: email it! | bookmark it! | digg it! | reddit! | kick it! | live it!

0 Comments

Filed under: Black Holes, Physics

 

21 April 2008
Light Echo from X-Ray Flare Reveals Existence of a Molecular Torus Surrounding a Supermassive Black Hole

The light echo of an X-ray flare from the nucleus of a galaxy has been observed. The flare almost certainly originates from a single star being gravitationally ripped apart by a supermassive black hole in the galactic core. As the star was being pulled into the black hole, its material was injected into the black [...]

Share this post: email it! | bookmark it! | digg it! | reddit! | kick it! | live it!

0 Comments

Filed under: Black Holes, Chandra, Physics