University of Texas astronomers have discovered a giant black hole in the Leo I galaxy -satellites of the Milky Way, called Leo I. Its mass is comparable to a black hole in the center of the Milky Way, which could change scientists' ideas about the evolution of galaxies and their nuclei. The results of the study are presented in an article published in The Astrophysical Journal.
Unlike most dwarf galaxies neighboring the Milky Way, Leo I does not contain a large amount of dark matter. Astronomers measured it by assessing the speed of movement of stars located at different distances from the center: the faster the stars move, the more dark matter is in their orbits. This allowed us to construct a profile of dark matter in the galaxy, that is, its amount depending on the distance from the center.
The simulation results showed that, given the small amount of dark matter, the stars behave as if the center of Leo I is located giant black hole. At the moment, there is no explanation as to why a black hole of this mass is located in a small galaxy. However, scientists suggest that the growth of such an object is due to the interaction of dwarf galaxies with larger galaxies, as a result of which smaller black holes merge with larger ones.