spacetoday.net: Supermassive black holes dine on binary star systems

Posted: Tue, Apr 3, 2012, 6:59 AM ET (1059 GMT)
Supermassive black holes found in the cores of many galaxies grow in mass by capturing single stars from binary star systems that pass close to them, astronomers conclude. In a study published in the latest issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters, astronomers said the most likely way for black holes to grow to supermassive sizes, with masses millions of times that of the Sun, is by capturing members of binary star systems that pass close to the black hole. Binary systems are more effective than single stars, astronomers argue, because the combined mass of the binary system allows for a more efficient interaction. Astronomers noted their explanation remains theoretical, without observational evidence yet for this mechanism.