SUMMARY: Astronomers have used the Chandra X-Ray Observatory to examine the presence of iron in three stellar black holes to understand if they're spinning or not. In theory, a spinning black hole will drag space around it and permit atoms to exist closer than a non-spinning one - Chandra can detect the relativistic effects on iron atoms orbiting the black hole. The explanation for different spin rates could be due to the size of a black hole's source of material; the larger the source (like a big star) and longer feeding time, the faster the black hole spins.
View full article
What do you think about this story? post your comments below.