UA astronomer discovers unusual black hole activity
Today, astronomers around the world are making new discoveries studying the vastness of space. One such astronomer teaching at the University of Alabama has made major progress in studying black holes and has documented for the first time, a star being torn apart by a black hole. That black hole is a thousand times more massive than our sun. Read more
Massive Black Hole Implicated in Stellar Destruction
New results from research led by a University of Alabama astronomer suggest that a dense stellar remnant has been ripped apart by a black hole a thousand times as massive as the sun. If confirmed, this discovery would be a cosmic double play: it would be strong evidence for an intermediate mass black hole, which has been a hotly debated topic, and would mark the first time such a black hole has been caught tearing a star apart. Dr. Jimmy Irwin, assistant professor in UA's department of physics and astronomy led the team which obtained the results from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Magellan telescopes. Read more