Topic: Nearby Black Hole is Feeble and Unpredictable

[sam]

A detailed study of Chandra observations over ten years shows that M31* was in a very dim, or quiet, state from 1999 to the beginning of 2006. However, on January 6, 2006, the black hole became more than a hundred times brighter, suggesting an outburst of X-rays. This was the first time such an event had been seen from a supermassive black hole in the nearby, local universe. After the outburst, M31* entered another relatively dim state, but was almost ten times brighter on average than before 2006. The outburst suggests a relatively high rate of matter falling onto M31* followed by a smaller, but still significant rate.

http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2010/m31/


-- Calling a black hole feeble makes me laugh. Also 'nearby'... yeah in a galaxy, far, far away!

[Clive]

-- Calling a black hole feeble makes me laugh. Also 'nearby'... yeah in a galaxy, far, far away!

When I saw the headline I imagined it to be in the solar neighbourhood!   

[Rik]

Even worse, just the neighbourhood.

[sam]

When I saw the headline I imagined it to be in the solar neighbourhood!   

on a Universe scale its fairly close.. but given this is a journal read by the public I found it oddly confusing.... then again I find lots of science writing aimed at the public to be too sensationalist - not that I am in my talk ever. 

[Clive]

Sensationalism attracts the attention of the public but I think it's a rotten way to promote science. 

[sam]

people just don't stick with it.