|
|
Article: Cambridge scientist hears black hole's voice.
- Article from:
- The Boston Herald
- Article date:
- April 14, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Boston Herald. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
With her ears perked toward the stars, a Cambridge researcher has heard the first faint whispers of communication from some of space's largest black holes, massive, matter-sucking voids that date to the beginning of the universe.
Tiziana Di Matteo of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, speaking at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Charleston, S.C., said these "supermassive" black holes emit small amounts of unique X-ray light.
While some supermassive black holes generate huge X-ray glows, the ones studied by Di Matteo were thought to be inactive, producing no measurable radiation.
"We have found that these giant ...