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Published online 11 January 2005 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news050110-6

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Light shed on black-hole masses

Orbiting matter suggests monster is 300,000 times heavier than the Sun.

How do you weigh a supermassive black hole? Simply follow any surrounding clumps of matter as they circle towards their doom.

Astronomers using this technique have come up with the most accurate mass measurement so far for one such monster, which turns out to be more than 300,000 times as massive as our Sun.

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