Detection of IMBH: Indian astronomers, using the Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT), detected and precisely measured the mass of an Intermediate-Mass Black Hole (IMBH) in a faint galaxy 4.3 million light-years away.
IMBH Characteristics: IMBHs are black holes with masses ranging from 100 to 100,000 times the mass of the Sun, filling the gap between stellar and supermassive black
orbit the IMBH at a distance of 2.25 billion km with a velocity dispersion of 545 km/second.
Matter Consumption: The IMBH is consuming matter at only 6% of its maximum theoretical rate.
Telescope Used: The 3.6m Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT), India’s largest optical telescope, and the 1.3m Devasthal Fast Optical Telescope (DFOT) were used.
Technique Applied: Spectrophotometric reverberation mapping was used to measure the delay between light emitted by the black hole’s accretion disk and the surrounding gas clouds.
Significance: This discovery refines our understanding of black hole growth and interaction with surroundings. The study validates the size-luminosity relationship for black holes in low-luminosity active galaxies and provides a more accurate black hole mass estimate.
Future Research: Larger telescopes and advanced instruments are needed to uncover more IMBHs and deepen our understanding of their role in the universe.
