Intermediate-Mass Black Hole (IMBH)

Syllabus:GS3/Space 

In News

• Indian astronomers used the Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT) to detect and measure an elusive intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) in the faint galaxy NGC 4395.

What Are Intermediate-Mass Black Holes (IMBHs)?

• They are missing links between stellar-mass and supermassive black holes.
• They are believed to be seeds for the growth of supermassive black holes.
• IMBHs are considered to be the “seeds” that can eventually grow into supermassive black holes, helping explain how such giants formed in the early universe.

Why Are IMBHs Hard to Detect?

• They are difficult to observe due to their faint emissions and location in small galaxies.
• This makes traditional detection techniques ineffective, requiring advanced instruments and methods.

About the Discovery 

• It provides strong evidence supporting the size-luminosity relationship in low-luminosity active galaxies and offers one of the most accurate mass estimates of an IMBH. 
• The black hole is accreting matter at only 6% of its theoretical maximum rate.
• The findings mark a key step in understanding black hole growth and evolution, with more advanced observations planned in the future.

Do you know? – The 3.6m Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT) was commissioned in 2016. – It  is India’s largest optical telescope for studying celestial objects. – It is  located in Nainital and operated by ARIES, it is a national facility equipped with modern instruments for imaging and spectroscopy in visible and near-infrared wavelengths. About Black Hole – A black hole is a region in space where the gravitational pull is so strong that nothing—not even light—can escape from it. This immense gravity results from matter being compressed into an extremely small area. – The concept of black holes was theorized by Albert Einstein in 1915 through his General Theory of Relativity. – The term “black hole” was later coined by John Archibald Wheeler in the 1960s. – Black holes typically form when a massive star exhausts its fuel and undergoes a supernova explosion—an immense burst of energy marking the end of a star’s life. The dense core left behind can collapse into a black hole. Types of Black Holes – Stellar Black Holes: 1. Mass: A few to tens of solar masses. 2. Origin: Formed when massive stars collapse after a supernova. Supermassive Black Holes: – Mass: Hundreds of thousands to billions of times the mass of the Sun. – Origin: Thought to be formed by the merging of smaller black holes and the accretion of mass over time. 1. Found at the centers of most galaxies, including our own Milky Way.

Source: TH