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Black hole found in Omega Centauri

2 April 2008

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Zooming in from a wide-field image of the constellation Centaurus, into the heart of the globular cluster Omega Centauri.

Credits: ESA/Hubble (M. Kornmesser & L. L. Christensen)

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A new discovery has resolved some of the mystery surrounding Omega Centauri, the largest and brightest globular cluster in the sky. Results obtained by Hubble and the Gemini Observatory reveal that the globular cluster may have a rare intermediate-mass black hole hidden in its centre, implying that is likely not a globular cluster at all, but a dwarf galaxy stripped of its outer stars.

Credits: NASA/ ESA/ STScI/ AURA (The Hubble Heritage Team)

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Wide-field of Omega Centauri and its surroundings (DSS2 excerpt)

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A wide star field image of the region around Omega Centauri (NGC 5139). The field-of-view is approximately 4.6 x 4.1 degrees.

Credits: NASA/ ESA/DSS2

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This image shows the southern Milky Way patch. At the centre is the constellation Centaurus, where the globular cluster Omega Centauri is located.

Credits: A. Fujii

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