Odd Black Hole Defies Explanation : space.com

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the discovery of a black hole with a mass between 25 to 40 times that of the Sun, a size that challenges existing classifications of black holes. Participants explore the implications of this finding, the methods of detecting black holes, and the relationship between stellar evolution and black hole formation.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that black holes are detected through their gravitational effects and radiation from surrounding matter, which raises questions about the nature of the emissions associated with black holes.
  • One participant suggests that the intense radiation observed might indicate the presence of 'white holes' rather than traditional black holes, challenging the conventional understanding of black hole detection.
  • Questions are raised regarding the timescales for star formation and the lifespan of stars that could lead to the formation of such black holes, including inquiries about the relationship between a black hole's mass and the age of the star that formed it.
  • References to recent papers are provided by a participant, indicating ongoing research related to the issues discussed, although the relevance and conclusions of these papers are not agreed upon by all participants.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the implications of the black hole's mass and the methods of detection, with no consensus reached on the nature of the emissions or the relationship between stellar evolution and black hole formation.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights uncertainties regarding the definitions of black holes and white holes, the assumptions underlying the detection methods, and the unresolved questions about stellar lifespans and formation timescales.

Ivan Seeking
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"Odd Black Hole Defies Explanation": space.com

Astronomers have found what appears to be a black hole 25 to 40 times the mass of our Sun, a weight class not previously known to exist.

Black holes can't be seen, because any light that enters them is trapped. So to find black holes, scientists look for intense radiation from around them as well as their gravitational effects on nearby gas and stars.

Black holes come in two distinct varieties, scientists know. A stellar black hole results from the collapse of a single, massive star and is typically a few times the mass of the Sun. Supermassive black holes anchor the centers of many galaxies and can harbor millions or billions of solar masses.

"There's a big gap there," said Philip Kaaret of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Kaaret thinks he's found one that helps fill the gap.[continued]

http://space.com/scienceastronomy/blackhole_medium_040608.html
 
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Astronomy news on Phys.org
any massive body can gravitationally collapse into a black hole. the mass and distance limits are well known. the consequences are not yet predictable.
 
Ivan Seeking said:
http://space.com/scienceastronomy/blackhole_medium_040608.html


Huhmm?..It seems that the only way to detect 'Blackholes' is to find the 'Light' that theoretically should 'NOT' be emminating from a BH!..so consequently most of the Blackholes detected so far have been really 'White-Holes' due to the enormous enegetic luminous outpourings, co-incidence?

The quoted author from the link tells me that he does not actually know the difference between a young stella object's creationary period (timescale) and the intermediate lifespan of a comparable early Galactic Star?

Q:How long does it take to produce a Star that matches the Mass of the "detected" Blackhole, What is the predected Stella Lifespan?

Q:How long does it take to produce a Blackhole that Matches an early 'baby' Stella Object, can the Blackhole's current Mass, reveal anything about the Star's lifespan that is proposed to have created it, is there a 'Time-stamp' to suggest how old the Star was at the instant it created the 'current-BH'?
 
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Olias said:
Huhmm?..It seems that the only way to detect 'Blackholes' is to find the 'Light' that theoretically should 'NOT' be emminating from a BH!..so consequently most of the Blackholes detected so far have been really 'White-Holes' due to the enormous enegetic luminous outpourings, co-incidence?

The quoted author from the link tells me that he does not actually know the difference between a young stella object's creationary period (timescale) and the intermediate lifespan of a comparable early Galactic Star?

Q:How long does it take to produce a Star that matches the Mass of the "detected" Blackhole, What is the predected Stella Lifespan?

Q:How long does it take to produce a Blackhole that Matches an early 'baby' Stella Object, can the Blackhole's current Mass, reveal anything about the Star's lifespan that is proposed to have created it, is there a 'Time-stamp' to suggest how old the Star was at the instant it created the 'current-BH'?

Actually I found some recent papers that have highlighted this very problem, for those that are interested:

http://uk.arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0406217

http://uk.arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0406218

http://uk.arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0406219

Three very interesting papers!
 

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