A powerful blast of X-rays - equivalent to the energy emitted by a MILLION Suns - has been fired out of a black hole in the spiral galaxy M83, lighting up the space around it. A ULX in a spiral galaxy Credit: Left: ESO/VLT and NASA/CXC/Curtin University/R. Sorla. Right: NASA/STScl/Middlebury College/F. Winkler et al. Over …

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Thursday 3rd May 2012 13:50 GMT Mr Young

Very good

If we could approach a black hole type thingy how much acceleration is possible?

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1. Thursday 3rd May 2012 14:05 GMT Norman Hartnell
  
  Re: Very good
  
  How spaghettified are you willing to get?
  
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  1. Thursday 3rd May 2012 22:04 GMT Fibbles
    
    Re: Very good
    
    I need your banking details Norman, you owe me a new keyboard.
    
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Thursday 3rd May 2012 16:32 GMT Anonymous Coward

I'm ashamed to ask this...

I must have missed this day at school - black holes are 'black' because electromagnetic waves are captured completely by them. Where do the x-rays come from? Just outside the black hole?

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1. Thursday 3rd May 2012 17:23 GMT Captain DaFt
  
  Re: I'm ashamed to ask this...
  
  Yep, as matter is spun furiously in orbit around the event horizon, due to the blackhole's intense gravity, it becomes energized, emitting x-rays.
  
  Kind of a naturally occurring particle accelerator.
  
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Thursday 3rd May 2012 17:26 GMT Silverburn

A million times more powerful than our sun?

mmm. Deadly.

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Thursday 3rd May 2012 17:32 GMT Ron 6

Life in outer space?

Not in this galaxy maybe...

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1. Friday 4th May 2012 08:08 GMT Yag
  
  Re: Life in outer space?
  
  Not in the immediate vicinity of this exuberant couple at least...
  
  Actually, this explain a bit why we're in a cozy outer arm of the galaxy instead of in a more central place... In the galactic center, a planet would be constantly sterilized due to the various partying neighbours.
  
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Friday 4th May 2012 16:31 GMT mhenriday

Is «MILLION» more than, less than, or equal to

«million» ? Or did the Reg editor simply get his finger stuck on the caps-lock key ?...

Henri

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