NASA's Hubble Spots a Relic from a Shredded Galaxy

February 17, 2012: Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope may have found evidence for a cluster of young, blue stars encircling HLX-1, one of the first intermediate-mass black holes ever discovered. Astronomers believe the black hole may once have been at the core of a now-disintegrated dwarf galaxy. The discovery of the black hole and the possible star cluster has important implications for understanding the evolution of supermassive black holes and galaxies

To read more go to: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/science/shredded-relic....

Credit: NASA, ESA, and S. Farrell (Sydney Institute for Astronomy, University of Sydney)

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