Inquiring minds want to know…if you are a black hole that is.
Scientists are quite sure why black holes get so big. As the name implies, supermassive black holes are millions of times more massive than the Sun.
We also know that at the center of every galaxy is a supermassive black hole.
Well a team of researchers from the University of Leicester in the UK and Monash University in Australia may have figured out how black holes got so big.
According to Professor Andrew King from the Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester: “These hugely massive black holes were already full—grown when the universe was very young, less than a tenth of its present age.” Black holes grow by sucking in gas, dust and debris that enters the event horizon and get trapped by the black holes gravity well. A disc of this matter forms around the hole and eventually spirals in to become part of the black hole. However, this accretion does not happen fast enough for the black holes to get this big. Additionally, black holes start and stop devouring everything around them due to the distance between the event horizon and any matter. So, it would have taken too long for the black holes to get as big as they are today.
New simulations done by the team show that if two or more discs are around a black hole, they tend to collide and fall into the black hole almost immediately. Sort of like how dogs eat any treat you toss their way. So that is their new theory on how supermassive black holes got to be supermassive.
- Ex astris, scientia -
I am and avid amateur astronomer and intellectual property attorney in Pasadena, California and I am a Rising Star as rated by Super Lawyers Magazine. As a former Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy, I am a proud member of the Armed Service Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association working to aid all active duty and veterans in our communities. Connect with me on Google +
Norman
