Astronomers hypothesize that a massive black hole lies at the center of M87, one of the largest and closest galaxies to Earth. The black hole is so large that it contains an estimated 6.6 billion times more mass than our sun!
Why do they think this? In the 1960s, astronomers discovered a supernova in M87. When observing data from this event with modern telescopes, they noticed “temporary brightenings” which may have been caused by gas being sucked into the gravitational pull of the black hole.
Astronomers hypothesize that a massive black hole lies at the center of M87, one of the largest and closest galaxies to Earth. The black hole is so large that it contains an estimated ____ times more mass than our sun! Why do they think this? In the 1960s, astronomers discovered a supernova in M87. When observing data from this event with modern telescopes, they noticed “temporary brightenings” which may have been caused by gas being sucked into the gravitational pull of the black hole.
Is there any other reason why we might suspect a giant blackhole lives at the center of M87?
One way to detect if another object resides at its core is through X-ray observations;
if the X-ray emissions are stronger in one location, it is likely that a black hole lies there. M87’s core resembles an “active galactic nucleus” – also known as AGN – which emits more radiation than stars and other objects of comparable size. Astronomers hypothesize that the supermassive blackhole at M87 might be responsible for this phenomenon.*
How did scientists come to know ____ years ago?
In the 1960s, astronomers discovered a supernova in M87. When observing data from this event with modern telescopes, they noticed “temporary brightenings” which may have been caused by gas being sucked into the gravitational pull of the black hole.
What do we call something that is bright?
We call it a “bright object.”
What do we call something that is less active than an AGN but still emits much more light than the average star and other objects of comparable size?
A supernova, Scientists hypothesize that the supermassive blackhole at M87 might be responsible for this phenomenon. In the 1960s, astronomers discovered a supernova in M87. When observing data from this event with modern telescopes, they noticed “temporary brightenings” which may have been caused by gas being sucked into the gravitational pull of the black hole. We call something that is bright an “object.” An object can also refer to an astronomical body like a planet or star; it does not necessarily need to emit light on its own in order to qualify as such.* What do we call something that is less active than an AGN but still emits much more light than the average star and other objects of comparable size? A supernova. A supernova is an astronomical event that occurs when a massive star dies and throws off its outer layers of gas. They are usually so bright they can be seen from the Earth even in telescopes with low magnification.*
The word “temporary” means lasting for only a short time or done now and gone later on; temporary things do not last very long. A supernova lasts for only seconds to minutes before it dims back into obscurity, but we know that these events happen frequently because there have been at least 100 observed since 1885. The term “brightenings” may refer-to any change in luminosity, such as changing the brightness of a lightbulb or turning up their volume on your music player’s equalizer settings.
This is a temporary event. The star brightens and then dims back into obscurity, but we know that these events happen frequently because there have been at least 100 observed since 1885. Astronomers hypothesize supernovae occur when massive stars die and throw off their outer layers of gas. They are usually so bright they can be seen from the Earth even in telescopes with low magnification
The term “brightenings” may refer-to any change in luminosity, such as changing the brightness of a lightbulb or turning up their volume on your music player’s equalizer settings. To understand why astronomers hypothesize that a massive black hole lies at the center of M87 (a galaxy about 50 million light years away), one must first understand how stars work.
This is an event called a supernova, where a star explodes and throws off its outer layers of gas into deep space. Astronomers have observed these events for decades but are not sure what causes them to occur. One theory states that supernovae happen when massive stars die and throw off their outer layers* then collapse to form neutron stars.
