<font size=2>B</font>lack holes can be found by their effects on surrounding matter. Gas is accelerated ( to a significant fraction of the speed of light ) as it spirals in toward a black hole. This gas gives off radiation as it is superheated. Theory predicts that the temperature of gas will be hotter with smaller black holes, because of the longer tighter spiraling orbit. X-ray observations combined with optical data on two objects in a spiral starburst galaxy called <b>NGC 1313</b>, in the southern constellation Reticulum (<i>only 15 million light-years away</i>), show temperatures consistent with black holes containing <b>only</b> 100 solar masses, and possably 200 to 500 solar masses. This is the first bit of evidence that shows that intermediate-mass black holes may exist.
