Animation of the stellar-mass black hole within the spiral galaxy NGC 300. The black hole was the most distant stellar-mass black hole detected when it was announced in 2010. The black hole is part of a binary system with a massive blue giant Wolf-Rayet star. Study of the orbital periods led to the conclusion that the black hole is around 15 times the mass of our Sun, and the Wolf-Rayet star about twenty times the Sun's mass. They orbit each other in a 32-hour period. Their close proximity allows the black hole to pull material from the star, which is heated to extreme temperatures as it falls towards the hole, causing it to emit X-rays. This galaxy lies six million light years from Earth in the constellation Sculptor.<br>Restrictions: | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit : | Science Photo Library / EUROPEAN SOUTHERN OBSERVATORY |
Model Release : | Le droit n'est pas encore disponible. Merci de nous contacter avant utilisation. |
Property release : | Non requis |
Durée : | 30 Secondes |
Aspect ratio : | 16/9 |
Restrictions : |
|