NASA's RXTE detect 'heartbeat' of smallest black hole candidate (w/ video)
Thursday, December 15, 2011 - 16:31
in Astronomy & Space
(PhysOrg.com) -- An international team of astronomers has identified a candidate for the smallest-known black hole using data from NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). The evidence comes from a specific type of X-ray pattern, nicknamed a "heartbeat" because of its resemblance to an electrocardiogram. The pattern until now has been recorded in only one other black hole system.