Clocking the speed of a Supermassive black hole

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Astronomers, who have been trying to accurately clock the speed of a Supermassive black hole for some time, finally got their chance. Keeping in mind that nothing travels faster than the speed of light, it’s impressive that this Supermassive black hole was clocked at nearly the speed of light. Astronomers used X-rays as the energy source to detect the speed of this black hole spinning incredibly fast. Also, you may want to put January 5th, 2018 in your calendar so you can witness a special trip to Mars. A married couple may get a chance to take a voyage into space and do a fly by of the red planet. The date is specific to the close approach of Mars to Earth. This is not sponsored by NASA, but by the Inspiration Mars Foundation. Don’t miss the first of three possible comets to be seen this year. Turn your eye to the sky on Friday to spot a fuzzy object with a tail. All this and more on this week’s Sky Talk.

Photo credit: NASA

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