Smallest black hole proves a giant find for science

0 Comments | AFP, April, 2008

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The discovery in our own galaxy of the smallest black hole known in the universe is a feather in the cap for NASA, but it will present new challenges to future space travelers who may venture too close.

Tiny but intense, with a mass 3.8 times that of the sun and a diameter of only 15 miles (24 kilometers), this black hole in the Milky Way galaxy "is really pushing the limits" of our understanding of the phenomenon, according a NASA scientist from Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.

"For many years astronomers have wanted to know the smallest possible size of a black hole, and this little guy is a big step forward toward answering that question," said Nikolai Shaposhnikov in a statement by NASA.

He and colleague Lev Titarchuk made the...