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An intermediate-mass black hole of over 500 solar masses in the galaxy ESO 243-49

Author

Listed:
  • Sean A. Farrell

    (Université de Toulouse, UPS, CESR, 9 Avenue du Colonel Roche, F-31028 Toulouse Cedex 9, France
    CNRS, UMR5187, F-31028 Toulouse, France
    Present address: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK.)

  • Natalie A. Webb

    (Université de Toulouse, UPS, CESR, 9 Avenue du Colonel Roche, F-31028 Toulouse Cedex 9, France
    CNRS, UMR5187, F-31028 Toulouse, France)

  • Didier Barret

    (Université de Toulouse, UPS, CESR, 9 Avenue du Colonel Roche, F-31028 Toulouse Cedex 9, France
    CNRS, UMR5187, F-31028 Toulouse, France)

  • Olivier Godet

    (University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK)

  • Joana M. Rodrigues

    (Université de Toulouse, UPS, CESR, 9 Avenue du Colonel Roche, F-31028 Toulouse Cedex 9, France
    CNRS, UMR5187, F-31028 Toulouse, France)

Abstract

A mid-sized black hole There should be some intermediate-mass black holes out there, in the gap between the stellar mass and super-massive populations. Too large to have formed by the collapse of a massive star, but too small to be found at the centre of galaxies, they are thought to form in dense stellar clusters or globular clusters. Until now there was no strong observational evidence for their existence. But the 'missing link' of the black hole world may have now been found with the discovery of a variable ultraluminous X-ray source, in the edge-on spiral galaxy ESO 243–49. The extreme luminosity of the source — HLX-1 for short — is consistent with the presence of an intermediate-mass black hole of over 500 solar masses.

Suggested Citation

  • Sean A. Farrell & Natalie A. Webb & Didier Barret & Olivier Godet & Joana M. Rodrigues, 2009. "An intermediate-mass black hole of over 500 solar masses in the galaxy ESO 243-49," Nature, Nature, vol. 460(7251), pages 73-75, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:460:y:2009:i:7251:d:10.1038_nature08083
    DOI: 10.1038/nature08083
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