News Astronomy

Measuring a black hole’s mass isn’t easy. A new technique could change that

Flickering in the gas and dust of the accretion disk of a black hole provides hints of its mass

illustration of a black hole

Astronomers have figured out how to use the disk of hot gas and dust around some black holes (like the one shown in this artist’s illustration) to measure the black hole’s mass.

Mark A. Garlick, Simons Foundation

By Lisa Grossman

- More than 2 years ago

Read another version of this article at Science News Explores

An actively feeding black hole surrounds itself with a disk of hot gas and dust that flickers like a campfire.