January 20, 2014
Turn About Is Fair Play – Black Hole Caught Orbiting A Star
Researchers have discovered the first black hole orbiting a star. Using the Liverpool and Mercator telescopes at an observatory in the Canary Islands, Spanish astronomers located the first known binary system consisting of a black hole and a Be-type star. These stars have a strong centrifugal force and rotate super, super fast. Their observations revealed that the black hole orbits around the Be star and is fed by matter the star ejects. The high-speed rotation of the star causes a lot of matter to be ejected, which the black hole attracts. Researchers think, although unusual to us, it’s really not one of a kind. They predict that this system is merely a member of a hidden population of Be stars paired with black holes.
[ Read the Article: Researchers Find First Black Hole Orbiting A “Be” Star ]