Established Member
I missed it, I just remember a preview, I didn't quite catch what they said but I think it was something like 'There's a black hole in the middle of our galaxy, are we in danger?'
And then I thought 'Hmmm, the black hole has been known for a loooooong time and it had been clarified a long time ago that we aren't in danger.'
So, did anyone see it on the news at ten last night? What was it about?
Honored Member
Must've been in Britain only. Our news is pretty much filled with the governor of the state on Illinois being arrested for trying to sell the vacant senate seat of Barack Obama to the highest bidder.
For nonAmericans, the preceding is absolutely true.
Moderator
Don't have ITV here so can't really comment.. but... that news was on several news website with a headline like "black hole discovered at ...". Only on the BBC News website was the headline: "black hole confirmed at ... ". See also this Universe Today story. Unless of course we're talking about different stories.Originally Posted by Ross PK81
As for the danger part... I guess they thought it might bring in extra viewers. Good for advertising 'n stuff.
____________
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"Your right to hold an opinion is not being contested. Your expectation that it be taken seriously is." -- Jason Thompson
"This is really very simple, but unfortunately it's very complicated." -- publius
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Order of Kilopi
I saw a news article about it today linked from another board. That article really didn't say anything new that I could tell, so I have no idea what was going on.
Edit: I'm talking about what slang was, apparently. He's probably right the preview you heard.
Order of Kilopi
I haven't seen this, but I have previously seen various claims about what could (or according to some, what would) happen with a galactic SMBH. These go from "what if" questions about what might happen if large amounts of mass suddenly fell on it to pure woo claims about it eating the galaxy.
So, my guess is that the took a leap from a SMBH to AGNs or quasars or more.
I say there is an invisible elf in my backyard. How do you prove that I am wrong?
The Leif Ericson Cruiser
Banned
There is irrefutable evidence of a black hole at the center of our galaxy. However, it is not inherently dangerous. Stars are orbiting around it at high velocity. This is how they detected it. But the hole itself is not a threat to the Earth. As a matter of fact, if the Sun magically turned into a black hole the earth would not automatically fall into it. It would just stay in the same orbit. The mass of the sun would not change, just the size.
Established Member
I caught this story on BBC news. Its about astronomers from the Max Planck Institute who have confirmed that there is a black hole at the centre of the Milky Way.
Links:
Science News
BBC News
Moderator
I caught the last bit saying there was a blackhole in our Galaxy.
Established Member
Yeah, I managed to see an article on it last night by going on BBC text on the TV and going on 'science news' or whatever it's called and read about it.
I always thought that it had been confirmed for a year or two now. As I always watch documetries like 'The Universe' on the history channel and other ones on the discovery channels, and I've heard them talk about a black hole being in the center of our galaxy for a long time now.
Established Member
I know that NOVA has an episode about black holes which aired in 2006.
Here's a link to it even.
Are they using the word "confirmed" as verifying something that is pretty much known?
Scientists do seem to have a knack of using terms differently than the rest of the population.
Established Member
Man, what a bunch of morons they are to even ask that question. One line of thought is that the SMBH is a necessary element in the formation of a galaxy. If this is true then we would not be here if the black hole didn't exist. Why didn't they report that?
Established Member
I think it was more a matter of an accepted theory before and now they call it a matter of no other possible explanation.
Moderator
Just think of it as confirmed more.
____________
"Dumb all over, a little ugly on the side." -- Frank Zappa
"Your right to hold an opinion is not being contested. Your expectation that it be taken seriously is." -- Jason Thompson
"This is really very simple, but unfortunately it's very complicated." -- publius
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Established Member
Lol!Just think of it as confirmed more.
Established Member
Do keep up!
Yesterday's APOD (DEc 11th) was about it:
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap081211.html
The point was that this report consolidated sixteen years of observation of stars 27K ly away and their velocities that could only exist if they were orbiting in a gravity well so steep that it could only be a BH.
Links on the APOD take you to the ESO site where the work is described in great detail:
http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/p.../pr-46-08.html
OR, if you scorn press releases, read the author's abstract:
http://arxiv.org/abs/0810.4674v1
Enjoy!
John
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