X-Rays signal presence of elusive intermediate-mass black hole

Peculiar outbursts of X-rays coming from a black hole have provided evidence that it has a mass of about 10,000 Suns, which would place it in a possible new class of black holes. The timing and regularity of these outbursts, observed with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, make the object one of the best candidates yet for a so-called intermediate-mass black hole, a new class of black holes.
Scientists have strong evidence for the existence of stellar black holes that are about 10 times as massive as the Sun. They have also discovered that supermassive black holes with masses as large as billions of Suns exist in the centers of most galaxies. Recent evidence has suggested that a new class of black holes may exist between these extremes – intermediate-mass black holes with masses equal to thousands of Suns.

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All News summaries for March 22, 2005