NICER Charts the Area Around a New Black Hole

The video discusses research conducted at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and the University of Maryland, focusing on the use of X-rays to study the environment around a newly discovered black hole. Using NICER on the International Space Station, the team observed X-ray flares from the black hole Maxi J 1820. The research revealed insights into the accretion disc and corona, including the contraction of the corona. These findings suggest that stellar mass black holes behave similarly to supermassive black holes, offering a faster timescale for observation and understanding of black hole systems.

What role did NASA's neutron star Interior Composition Explorer play in the observations of the black hole?

Describe the process that leads to the formation of X-ray flares around a black hole.

What is the significance of the corona in relation to the black hole and its accretion disk?

What observations led the team to conclude that the corona was shrinking?

How do the behaviors of stellar mass black holes compare to supermassive black holes?