Galaxy RXJ1242-11
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RXJ1242-11 (also known as Galaxy RXJ1242-11) is a galaxy located approximately 200 megaparsecs (about 650 million light years) from Earth. According to current interpretations of X-ray observations made by the Chandra X-ray Observatory and XMM-Newton, the centre of this galaxy is a 100 million solar mass supermassive black hole which was observed to have swallowed part of a star which had been pushed by a second star into the black hole. The remaining star was pushed back into the local galaxy.
The discovery is widely considered to be the first strong evidence of a supermassive black hole ripping apart a star and consuming a portion of it.
External links
- [NASA Official Release - Giant Black Hole Rips Apart Unlucky Star In Cosmic Reality Show]
- [Chandra X-Ray Observatory Photo Album - February 18, 2004]
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