NuSTAR finds clumpy doughnut around black hole
Thursday, December 17, 2015 - 09:50
in Astronomy & Space
The most massive black holes in the universe are often encircled by thick doughnut-shaped disks of material. This doughnut material ultimately feeds and nourishes the growing black holes tucked inside. Until recently, some of these doughnuts were too thick for any telescopes to penetrate, but now a team of astronomers have used the NASA NuSTAR and ESA XMM-Newton X-ray observatories to peer inside. They publish their work in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.