Measure the rotation of a black hole

2007/02/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Astronomia

For the first time they have measured the speed at which a black hole rotates. According to astrophysicists at Harvard's Smithsonian center, the black hole GRS1915 rotates 950 in a second. This measure cannot be done directly, since the hole ingests all the material and radiation nearby. However, from a limit distance --33 kilometers in this case-, matter and radiation escape, the influence of the rotation of the hole. Analyzing this fugitive radiation and knowing the mass of the hole, astrophysicists have calculated the rotation speed.