News Physics

The M87 black hole image showed the best way to measure black hole masses

Its diameter suggests the black hole is 6.5 billion times the mass of the sun

galaxy M87

SUPERMASSIVE SOURCE  The gases and stars in galaxy M87, shown in this composite image from the Chandra X-ray telescope and the Very Large Array, gave different numbers for the mass of the galaxy’s supermassive black hole.

N. Werner, E. Million et al/KIPAC/CXC/NASA, F. Owen/NSF/AUI/NRAO

By Lisa Grossman

- More than 2 years ago

The measure of a black hole is what it does with its stars.