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Monster Black Hole Sucking Up Space

By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 26, 2009 7:26 AM CDT

(Newser) – A monstrous black hole near the center of a distant galaxy is sucking up stars, gas and dust, and spitting out baby stars, NASA scientists have discovered. The black hole is 100 million times the mass of the sun, reports the Telegraph. It lies at the center of a galaxy 50 million light years away known as NGC-1097, and has been photographed by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope in California.

A black hole also lies at the center of the Milky Way, but has only a fraction of the power of the new discovery. The NASA photo reveals a fiery ring around the black hole which is packed with searing newborn stars. "The ring itself is a fascinating object because it is forming stars at a very high rate," says a NASA astronomer.


Our Milky Way.
Our Milky Way.   (AP Photo/NASA/JPL CALTECH)
The splotch in this image is the most active star-making galaxy in a far universe, nicknamed Baby Boom. Now scientists have discovered a giant black hole in a galaxy 50 million light years away.
The splotch in this image is the most active star-making galaxy in a far universe, nicknamed "Baby Boom." Now scientists have discovered a giant black hole in a galaxy 50 million light years away.   (AP Photo/NASA)
This NASA image shows an  eye at the center of the NGC-1097 that's actually an enormous black hole surrounded by a ring of stars.
This NASA image shows an "eye" at the center of the NGC-1097 that's actually an enormous black hole surrounded by a ring of stars.   (AP Photo/NASA)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 20 comments
aces08
Sep 10, 2009 5:02 AM CDT
Ultramarine, while that is true we cannot prove what is beyond that temperature ring. It could be the end of space or it could be an old universe that hasn't been destroyed yet to make a way for ours, or hell it could be anything there.
DeniseVB
Jul 27, 2009 12:03 PM CDT
Nevermind....I thought the topic line was about Congress :p
newsrmandan
Jul 27, 2009 6:45 AM CDT
and all this happened by chance. Some great chance.

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