Comments on: Biggest stellar mass black hole found http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/10/30/biggest-stellar-mass-black-hole-found/ I am an astronomer, writer, and skeptic. I likes reality the way it is, and I aims to keep it that way. My real name is Phil Plait, and I run the Bad Astronomy blog. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:56:50 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Elmo http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/10/30/biggest-stellar-mass-black-hole-found/comment-page-1/#comment-53639 Elmo Fri, 07 Dec 2007 00:05:46 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/10/30/biggest-stellar-mass-black-hole-found/#comment-53639 2million years.. more like about 5... In the middle of our galaxy there are two massive black holes.. we will reach the center in 2012... .. that'll be fun. 2million years.. more like about 5…

In the middle of our galaxy there are two massive black holes..

we will reach the center in 2012…

..

that’ll be fun.

]]> By: Elmo http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/10/30/biggest-stellar-mass-black-hole-found/comment-page-1/#comment-53638 Elmo Fri, 07 Dec 2007 00:04:49 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/10/30/biggest-stellar-mass-black-hole-found/#comment-53638 2million years.. more like about 5... In the middle of our galaxy there are two massive black holes.. that'll be fun children. 2million years.. more like about 5…

In the middle of our galaxy there are two massive black holes..

that’ll be fun children.

]]> By: Engineobi.Com » Biggest stellar mass black hole found http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/10/30/biggest-stellar-mass-black-hole-found/comment-page-1/#comment-53637 Engineobi.Com » Biggest stellar mass black hole found Wed, 31 Oct 2007 05:42:20 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/10/30/biggest-stellar-mass-black-hole-found/#comment-53637 [...] Messiah wrote an interesting post today on Biggest stellar mass black hole foundHere’s a quick [...] [...] Messiah wrote an interesting post today on Biggest stellar mass black hole foundHere’s a quick [...]

]]> By: Ergyad.Com » Biggest stellar mass black hole found http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/10/30/biggest-stellar-mass-black-hole-found/comment-page-1/#comment-53636 Ergyad.Com » Biggest stellar mass black hole found Wed, 31 Oct 2007 05:18:25 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/10/30/biggest-stellar-mass-black-hole-found/#comment-53636 [...] wrote an interesting post today on Biggest stellar mass black hole foundHere’s a quick [...] [...] wrote an interesting post today on Biggest stellar mass black hole foundHere’s a quick [...]

]]> By: Syruptaj.Com » Biggest stellar mass black hole found http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/10/30/biggest-stellar-mass-black-hole-found/comment-page-1/#comment-53635 Syruptaj.Com » Biggest stellar mass black hole found Wed, 31 Oct 2007 05:14:57 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/10/30/biggest-stellar-mass-black-hole-found/#comment-53635 [...] Messiah wrote an interesting post today on Biggest stellar mass black hole foundHere’s a quick [...] [...] Messiah wrote an interesting post today on Biggest stellar mass black hole foundHere’s a quick [...]

]]> By: andy http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/10/30/biggest-stellar-mass-black-hole-found/comment-page-1/#comment-53634 andy Tue, 30 Oct 2007 22:24:35 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/10/30/biggest-stellar-mass-black-hole-found/#comment-53634 <blockquote>Would this have been happening to the star even before its companion became a black hole? Because the star that eventually became the black hole would have had just as much mass, even more, considering the mass that it lost whenever it went supernova.</blockquote> Not necessarily. There is the issue that the supernova explosion may give the remaining compact object a kick (this is known to happen for neutron stars, not sure about whether black holes would also receive such a kick, though the fact that the system is bound after such significant mass loss suggests so), so the orbital parameters currently observed may be significantly different to the pre-supernova orbit.

Would this have been happening to the star even before its companion became a black hole? Because the star that eventually became the black hole would have had just as much mass, even more, considering the mass that it lost whenever it went supernova.

Not necessarily. There is the issue that the supernova explosion may give the remaining compact object a kick (this is known to happen for neutron stars, not sure about whether black holes would also receive such a kick, though the fact that the system is bound after such significant mass loss suggests so), so the orbital parameters currently observed may be significantly different to the pre-supernova orbit.

]]> By: The Centipede http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/10/30/biggest-stellar-mass-black-hole-found/comment-page-1/#comment-53633 The Centipede Tue, 30 Oct 2007 21:41:20 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/10/30/biggest-stellar-mass-black-hole-found/#comment-53633 >> Would this have been happening to the star even before its companion became a black hole? Because the star that eventually became the black hole would have had just as much mass, even more, considering the mass that it lost whenever it went supernova. Depends. It could be that it's a relatively recent gravitational capture. >> Would this have been happening to the star even before its companion became a black hole? Because the star that eventually became the black hole would have had just as much mass, even more, considering the mass that it lost whenever it went supernova.

Depends. It could be that it’s a relatively recent gravitational capture.

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