Black Holes

Context: The Hubble Space Telescope has revealed an intermediate-mass black hole within the Omega Centauri star cluster in the Milky Way galaxy

Omega Centauri:

• Largest and Most Luminous: Omega Centauri (NGC 5139 or Caldwell 80) is the Milky Way’s largest and brightest globular cluster, containing millions of stars within a diameter of approximately 150 light-years.
• Visibility: Located about 17,000 light-years from Earth, Omega Centauri is visible to the naked eye.

Black Holes:

• Characteristics: Black holes are regions of space with extremely dense matter and a powerful gravitational pull, which even light cannot escape. Due to their nature, they are invisible to telescopes and can only be studied based on their effects on surrounding matter.
• Properties: Known for their extreme density and ability to warp space and time, black holes are studied through their influence on nearby objects and light.

Hubble Space Telescope:

• Launch and Collaboration: An astronomical observatory launched in 1990 by NASA in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA).
• Naming: Named after Edwin Hubble, whose research in the 1920s provided the first evidence of the universe’s expansion.
• Orbit and Instruments: The telescope orbits about 547 kilometers above Earth and features a 2.4-meter primary mirror along with advanced scientific instruments. These tools enable it to capture high-resolution images and spectroscopic data across the electromagnetic spectrum.
• Mission: The primary objectives of the Hubble Space Telescope include exploring the universe and studying its composition, formation, and evolution.