The mystery of how black holes reach billions of solar masses
In short: Standard stellar collapse only creates relatively small black holes. This video explores the mechanisms behind supermassive giants, moving beyond the long-held belief that galactic mergers are the sole driver of their growth.
While a collapsing star typically produces a black hole about 10 times the mass of our Sun, objects like those at the centers of M87 and the Milky Way are vastly larger. The supermassive black hole in M87 is estimated to be 6.5 billion times heavier than the Sun, while the one in our own galaxy is roughly 4 million times heavier.
For years, scientists attributed this growth primarily to galaxy collisions. However, research by Jewell and collaborators suggests a different path: supermassive black holes can grow even in galaxies that have not undergone mergers. This confirms previous simulations indicating that other mechanisms are at play in how these cosmic giants reach such immense proportions.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: How do black holes get so SUPERMASSIVE?
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