• Question: Hows your research about black holes

    Asked by Nitrozz25 to Peter on 5 Nov 2016.
    • Photo: Peter Boorman

      Peter Boorman answered on 5 Nov 2016:

      Hi 469pnug25,

      The black holes I study are very very heavy – about as massive as a billion Suns! For this reason, they can pull lots of matter towards them because of their huge gravitational pull. This matter bumps into each other and emits lots of different light – some of which is X-ray light. This light is able to escape thick layers of gas and dust, similar to ‘smog’, surrounding the monster and be detected by X-ray satellites above the Earth’s atmosphere.
      For this reason, I use these X-rays to look at the black holes covered in the thickest ‘smog’, which may end up being the largest monsters in the Universe, but just too hidden to see in normal light!

      Peter

Comments