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Omega Centauri

All articles tagged with #omega centauri

space1 month ago•29 min saved

Hubble and Webb reveal Omega Centauri's hidden stellar-mass black hole after 23-year hunt

Astronomers using two decades of precise astrometry from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope have identified the first stellar-mass black hole in the Milky Way's Omega Centauri, named oMEGACat BH-2, by tracking a visible star's sky motion around an unseen companion. The binary completes an orbit every 94 years, and the black hole weighs about 4.46 solar masses, confirming a black hole rather than a neutron star. The system likely formed through dynamical interactions in the cluster; this discovery supports Omega Centauri's hidden black-hole population and points to more finds as Hubble, Webb, and future missions survey the cluster.

via The Watchers - Watching the world evolve and transform|

#astrometry #hubble-space-telescope #james-webb-space-telescope

science1 month ago•13 min saved

Omega Centauri's 94-Year Binary Unveils Its First Stellar-Mass Black Hole

Astronomers using two decades of Hubble imagery and JWST data have identified the first stellar-mass black hole in the globular cluster Omega Centauri, designated oMEGACat BH-2, weighing about 4.46 solar masses and in a 94-year orbit around a sun-like star — the longest-period black hole binary yet found. The discovery, based on precise astrometry of stellar wobble, supports the existence of a hidden population of black holes in metal-poor clusters, though the period and mass have uncertainties due to partial orbital coverage; further observations with JWST and upcoming missions will refine the parameters and reveal more such systems.

via Space Daily|

#astrometry #black-hole #hubble-space-telescope

space-and-spaceflight1 month ago•16 min saved

Hidden Stellar-Math Black Hole Found in Dense Star Cluster, Hinting at Thousands More

Astronomers using Hubble archival data and Webb infrared observations discovered the first stellar-mass black hole (about 4.5 solar masses) orbiting a star in the Omega Centauri globular cluster, a system named oMEGACat BH-2 with a 94-year orbital period—the longest known for a black hole binary. The find suggests Omega Centauri may harbor up to ~10,000 such black holes, helping explain black hole populations in dense clusters and their relevance to gravitational-wave sources. The team plans to continue hunting for more BHs in this cluster and others over the coming years.

via Gizmodo|

#astronomy #black-holes #globular-cluster

space1 month ago•107 min saved

Omega Centauri Unveils Its First Hidden Stellar-Mass Black Hole

Astronomers using over two decades of Hubble data and JWST observations have confirmed the first stellar-mass black hole in the Omega Centauri globular cluster, designated oMEGACat BH-2, with a mass of 4.46 solar masses orbiting a sun-like star every 94 years. The finding suggests Omega Centauri could host a large hidden population of such black holes and highlights astrometry as a key method, with plans to find more using Roman Space Telescope in the future.

via Space|

#astrometry #hubble-space-telescope #james-webb-space-telescope

science2 months ago•14 min saved

Astronomers uncover first stellar-mass black hole in Omega Centauri with Hubble and Webb

University of Utah researchers used two decades of Hubble data and recent JWST observations to measure stellar motions via astrometry, revealing Omega Centauri’s first stellar-mass black hole, oMEGACat BH-2, with a mass of about 4.46 solar masses and a 94-year orbit—the longest known for a black hole binary. The discovery in this metal-poor globular cluster challenges existing formation theories and suggests such black hole populations may be common, with future surveys (including NASA’s Roman Space Telescope) likely to find more.

via KSL News|

#astrometry #black-hole #hubble-space-telescope

science1 year ago•4 min saved

New Research Sheds Light on Black Holes in Milky Way's Largest Star Cluster

New research suggests that the high velocities of stars in Omega Centauri, the Milky Way's largest star cluster, are likely due to a cluster of stellar-mass black holes rather than a single intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH). By combining data on stellar velocities and pulsar accelerations, scientists from the University of Surrey and collaborators have provided evidence favoring the presence of multiple smaller black holes. This finding helps resolve a long-standing debate and advances the search for IMBHs, which could bridge the gap between stellar-mass and supermassive black holes.

via Phys.org|

#astronomy #black-holes #milky-way

science2 years ago•4 min saved

Astronomers Uncover Hidden Black Hole in Star Cluster

Researchers from the University of Utah and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy have discovered an intermediate-mass black hole in the Omega Centauri star cluster, a finding likened to discovering Bigfoot due to its rarity. This discovery, published in "Nature," was made by analyzing the motion of 1.4 million stars using over 500 Hubble images. The team plans to further study the black hole using the James Webb Space Telescope.

via KSL.com|

#astronomy #black-hole #hubble-space-telescope

space2 years ago•4 min saved

"X-ray Telescope Discovers Cosmic Black Widows: Spider Pulsars Devouring Stars"

NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has observed a group of spider pulsars, rapidly spinning neutron stars, devouring their companion stars in the globular cluster Omega Centauri. The data collected could provide insights into how these cosmic "black widows" erode surrounding stars with intense radiation. The researchers found that redback pulsars, which devour larger stars, are brighter in X-rays than black widow pulsars, which consume smaller stars. The findings highlight the link between the mass of the stars being devoured and the radiation emitted. Chandra's sensitive X-ray vision is crucial for studying spider pulsars and other millisecond pulsars in globular clusters.

via Space.com|

#chandra-x-ray-observatory #neutron-stars #omega-centauri

astronomy2 years ago•3 min saved

"Spider Pulsars: Stellar Destruction Captured by Chandra"

NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has captured data revealing that spider pulsars, a type of millisecond pulsar, are destroying their companion stars through winds of energetic particles. Astronomers discovered 11 millisecond pulsars emitting X-rays in the globular cluster Omega Centauri, with five of them being spider pulsars. The study found a correlation between X-ray brightness and the mass of the companion star, confirming previous work. The close proximity of the companion stars to the pulsars causes significant damage due to the energetic particles. Chandra's sharp X-ray vision is crucial for studying these pulsars in globular clusters.

via Phys.org|

#astronomy #chandra-x-ray-observatory #neutron-stars