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Sorry Science Fans, Discovering A 70-Solar-Mass Black Hole Is Routine, Not Impossible

“Astronomers aren’t perplexed by this object (or similar ones to it) at all, but rather are fascinated with uncovering the details of how they formed and how common they truly are. The mystery isn’t why these objects exist at all, but rather how the Universe makes them in the abundances we observe. We don’t falsely generate excitement by spreading misinformation that diminishes our knowledge and ideas prior to this discovery.

In science, the ultimate rush comes from discovering something that furthers our understanding of the Universe within the context of everything else we know. May we never be tempted to pretend anything else is the case.”

Did you hear about this “impossible” black hole that “perplexes” astronomers and “defies” theory? If you followed the news cycle last week, that’s probably what you’ve heard. But the truth is far more interesting, and includes facts like:

-this is the fourth black hole we’ve found like it, not the first, -there are two other ways to make black holes that would explain this object in addition to the one way that can’t, -and that we’ve seen each and every one of the steps necessary to make a black hole like this, -but that finding this black hole with this particular method really is revolutionary?

Andy Warhol, Colored Mona Lisa, 1963

Signed and dated ‘Andy Warhol 1963’ on the reverse

silkscreen inks and graphite on canvas

Christie’s

© 2012 Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

writers in their writing spaces part 1