New Delhi, April 17 || Astrophysicists from Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), have successfully detected and measured the properties of an intermedia black hole (IMBH).
IMBH which has remained elusive is found in a faint galaxy called NGC 4395 about 4.3 million light-years away from Earth.
Using the 3.6m Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT) -- India's largest optical telescope --, the team found that gas clouds orbit the black hole at a distance of 125 light-minutes (around 2.25 billion kilometre) with a velocity dispersion of 545 km per second.
“The discovery refines our understanding about how black holes, especially those that weigh between 100 and 100,000 Suns, grow and interact with their surroundings,” the scientists said.
For decades, astronomers have searched for a missing link in the cosmic black hole family: the elusive Intermediate-Mass Black Holes (IMBHs).
IMBHs are thought to be the seeds that grow into supermassive black holes. However, their faint nature and location in small galaxies make them extremely difficult to observe.
Unlike their larger counterparts, they don’t generate bright emissions unless they’re actively pulling in matter, making advanced observational techniques essential.