Using wobbling stellar material, astronomers measure the spin of a supermassive black hole for the first time

Using wobbling stellar material, astronomers measure the spin of a supermassive black hole for the first time

Astronomers at MIT, NASA, and elsewhere have a new way to measure how fast a black hole spins, by using the wobbly aftermath from its stellar feasting. The method takes advantage of a black hole tidal disruption event — a blazingly bright moment when a black hole exerts tides on a passing star and rips … Read more