NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory have identified a potential intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) in the outskirts of the elliptical galaxy NGC 6099, located approximately 450 million light-years from Earth. This discovery offers valuable insights into the formation and evolution of black holes.
IMBHs, with masses ranging from a few hundred to a few hundred thousand times that of our Sun, have been challenging to detect due to their relatively low luminosity compared to stellar-mass and supermassive black holes. The identified object, designated NGC 6099 HLX-1, exhibits X-ray emissions consistent with a tidal disruption event, where a star is torn apart by the black hole's gravitational forces. The X-ray emission from NGC 6099 HLX-1 has a temperature of 3 million degrees, consistent with a tidal disruption event. Hubble found evidence for a small cluster of stars around the black hole. This cluster would provide a substantial amount of material for the black hole to accrete, as the stars are closely packed together.
The detection of NGC 6099 HLX-1 contributes to the growing body of evidence supporting the existence of IMBHs and enhances our understanding of their role in galactic formation and evolution. Further observations and studies are necessary to confirm the nature of this object and to explore the mechanisms behind its formation.
For more detailed information, refer to the official NASA release: