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Chandra clinches case for missing link black hole

X-ray image of the central region of the starburst galaxy M82. Of particular interest is the bright source near the center of the image, offset from the dynamical center (small green +) of the galaxy by about 600 light years. This source was seen to increase dramatically in intensity over a period of three months, as indicated by comparing the left image to the more-recent observation at right. Short-term flickering in 10-minute intervals also was observed. This fast flickering and the peak intensity of the source are strong evidence that the X-rays are produced by matter accreting onto a black hole with the mass of more than 500 suns.

This is the first confirmed case of such a large black hole outside the nucleus of a galaxy, and is believed to represent a new type of black hole formed by the merger of scores of black holes, or by the collapse of a "hyperstar" formed by the coalescence of many stars.

Chandra observed M82 six times for a total of approximately 30 hours. Some of the observations were made with the High Resolution Camera (HRC) and some with the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) X-ray camera.

Scale: 30 arcsec on a side.

Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO

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