Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Cyg X-1: Can Black Holes Form in the Dark?

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for June 12, 2003 is “Cyg X-1: Can Black Holes Form in the Dark?,” an image. It is credited to Credit: I. F. Mirabel and I. Rodrigues ( IAFE , SAp/CEA ). The original explanation runs about 200 words.

Cyg X-1: Can Black Holes Form in the Dark?
Credit: I. F. Mirabel and I. Rodrigues ( IAFE , SAp/CEA ) Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“The formation of a black hole from the collapsing core of a massive star is thought to be heralded by a spectacular supernova explosion. Such an extremely energetic collapse is also a leading explanation for the mysterious cosmic gamma-ray bursts .”

— APOD editors, June 12, 2003

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
June 12, 2003
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: I. F. Mirabel and I. Rodrigues ( IAFE , SAp/CEA )
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 200 words

All of June 2003 → · 2003 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

The Milky WaySupernovaeBlack holes

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: June 12 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.