MAXI J1659-152

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/maxi-j1659-152

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the orbital period?2.504 hours, indicating extreme orbital proximity and rapid mass transfer
2. What is the companion star type?K-type main-sequence star, actively losing mass to the black hole
3. How big is the black hole in MAXI J1659-152?The black hole weighs about 3 to 10 times the mass of the Sun and is roughly the size of a city.
4. Why does MAXI J1659-152 glow in X‑rays?The gas from the companion star forms a hot disk around the black hole, and the heat makes it emit X‑ray radiation.

Stellar Evolution: The process by which stars change over time, from their formation to their eventual death.
Core-Collapse Supernova: A powerful stellar explosion that occurs when the core of a massive star runs out of nuclear fuel.
Tidal Forces: Gravitational forces exerted by a celestial body that vary across the body of another celestial body.