How much mass makes a black hole? Astronomers challenge current theories
Published On Wednesday, August 18, 2010. Under: Black Holes.
ScienceDaily (Aug. 18, 2010) Using ESO's Very Large Telescope, European astronomers have for the first time demonstrated that a magnetar -- an unusual type of neutron star -- was formed from a star with at least 40 times as much mass as the Sun. The result presents great challenges to current theories
of how stars evolve, as a star as massive as this was expected to become a black hole, not a magnetar. This now raises a fundamental question: just how massive does a star really have to be to become a black hole?
To reach their conclusions, the astronomers looked ... Read More