2007-01-12 01:56:43 · 7 answers · asked by Kaien かいえん 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
It doesn't take ANY energy to keep a galaxy rotating: it would take a huge amount of energy to make the rotation stop. So nothing is required to power the rotation. The reason the objects that make up a galaxy (stars, gas clouds, etc.) rotate instead of shooting off in a straight line is that they are gravitationally attracted to all the other matter in the galaxy. Black holes make up a very small fraction of a galaxy's mass, so they cause only a very small fraction of the gravity which causes orbits in galaxies.
2007-01-12 05:38:51 · answer #1 · answered by Faeldaz M 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, not very much.
The rotation of Galaxies is not really powered by anything---the stars are in orbit, and the orbits do not in general involve any change in total energy, so no power is needed to keep it rotating.
Even so, only a tiny fraction of the gravitational force keeping the stars in their orbits is due to Black Holes. The Milky Way, for example, has a 3 million solar mass black hole, but the mass of all the stars is 100 billion solar masses---that's 30,000 times bigger. The stars mostly rotate around all the other stars.
2007-01-12 10:25:43 · answer #2 · answered by cosmo 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I agree with cosmo.
Gravity drives the rotation, and gravity is related directly to the mass of the *stuff* in the galaxy. The contribution fomr the black hole center is not very great in the big picture.
2007-01-12 10:28:31 · answer #3 · answered by Jerry P 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, that is the current theory.
It is speculated that a black hole is in the centre of our Galaxy!
2007-01-12 10:02:35 · answer #4 · answered by tattie_herbert 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
So we all live in a giant black toilet?...interesting.
2007-01-12 10:19:12 · answer #5 · answered by Timothy S 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaxy_rotation_problem
2007-01-12 10:02:24 · answer #6 · answered by toxisoft 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no
2007-01-12 13:02:39 · answer #7 · answered by robedzombiesoul 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋