Scientists propose planets could exist around supermassive black holes
By
Phil Plait
Hand-rolled, kettle-boiled, baked to perfection. Worth every minute at the bakery.
Summary
The article discusses the possibility of planets existing around supermassive black holes, drawing on the history of exoplanet discoveries in extreme environments (like pulsars). It explores how nature seems capable of forming planets even under the most hostile conditions, and suggests that planets might lurk in the outskirts of supermassive black holes—one of the least likely places imaginable.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledClearly nature excels at making planets, even under extremely hostile conditions.
These worlds were not orbiting stars like the sun. Instead they circled a pulsar, the dead remains of an exploded star.
This is one of the last places in the universe astronomers expected to find planets—a pulsar is the remnant from a supernova, after all—and it's still unclear how these worlds formed.
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