IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 30 (UPI) -- Scientists at the University of California, Irvine have been selected to head a study of some of the most mysterious areas in the universe, black holes.
Aaron Barth, the astronomer leading the project, told the Riverside Press-Enterprise that the team will measure the masses of black holes in 10 galaxies. He said the galaxies are ones where black holes are currently growing.
"The results from this project will help us to understand the relationship between the mass of the black hole and the mass of its host galaxy, and how giant black holes built up their huge masses over the history of the universe," he said.
Barth described black holes as regions where "the gravitational field is so strong that nothing can escape, not even light."
The team includes scientists from several other university campuses, including Berkeley, Los Angeles, Riverside and Santa Barbara. They have been given 64 nights on the Shane Reflector Telescope at the Lick Observatory east of San Jose.
Barth said the team must take its observations almost continuously over several weeks to monitor changes in brightness.
