Monster black holes discovered in NGC 4889 and NGC 3842
Posted: 05.12.2011, 21:54
I suppose you have read today's news about the discovery of the biggest, baddest black holes yet found in the universe... e.g. in the NewYork Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/06/scien ... .html?_r=1
One of these monsters resides in the center of the elliptical galaxy NGC 4889 (within a dense cluster of galaxies). About 336 million light-years away in the Coma constellation. It weighs as much as 21 billion Suns ...
"The other black hole, a graveyard for the equivalent of 9.7 billion Suns, more or less, lurks in the center of NGC 3842, a galaxy that anchors another cluster known as Abell 1367, 331 million light-years away in Leo. "
I had a look in the SDSS DR7 image data base and read out some neat images from the respective galaxy environments.
For example, here is the elliptical NGC 4889 (brightest) with its elliptical "satellites"
Of course, I was curious how well Celestia.Sci visualizes the same environment. See here:
The NewYork Times advises NOT to get too close
Fridger
EDIT:
Here is what Celestia.Sci displays when you get closer: you start seing the peripheral cloud of globular clusters that give a mottled appearance of elliptical galaxies upon closer distance.
[Click on image by all means!]
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/06/scien ... .html?_r=1
One of these monsters resides in the center of the elliptical galaxy NGC 4889 (within a dense cluster of galaxies). About 336 million light-years away in the Coma constellation. It weighs as much as 21 billion Suns ...
"The other black hole, a graveyard for the equivalent of 9.7 billion Suns, more or less, lurks in the center of NGC 3842, a galaxy that anchors another cluster known as Abell 1367, 331 million light-years away in Leo. "
I had a look in the SDSS DR7 image data base and read out some neat images from the respective galaxy environments.
For example, here is the elliptical NGC 4889 (brightest) with its elliptical "satellites"
Of course, I was curious how well Celestia.Sci visualizes the same environment. See here:
The NewYork Times advises NOT to get too close
Fridger
EDIT:
Here is what Celestia.Sci displays when you get closer: you start seing the peripheral cloud of globular clusters that give a mottled appearance of elliptical galaxies upon closer distance.
[Click on image by all means!]
