Black Hole in Center of Milky WayThe Milky Way Galaxy has a central black hole of mass 3.7 +/- 0.2 x106 solar masses!(Carroll&Ostlie, 2007). The center of the galaxy is given the name Sagittarius A*. Wikipedia reports a mass of (4.154 +/- 0.014) x 106 solar masses. A 2009 study using the proper motions of several thousand stars projected an estimate of 3.6 (+.2/-.4) x 106 solar masses. All of these are estimates since the black hole itself cannot be directly observed. Masses based on orbits determine the mass enclosed by the orbit and therefore contain some mass that is not a part of the black hole. |
Index Black hole concepts Galaxy concepts Carroll & Ostlie Sec 17-3 Sagittarius A* wiki. | ||
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Galactic Center Black Holes"Supermassive black holes are known to exist at the center of many (and probably most) galaxies. These enormous black holes range in mass from 105 to 109 solar masses. "(Carroll & Ostlie) The process of formation of these massive black holes is not well understood, but it appears that the formation of super massive black holes (SMBHs) is strongly connected with the process of galaxy formation. |
Index Black hole concepts Galaxy concepts Carroll & Ostlie Sec 17-3 | ||
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