supermassive black hole

Latest about supermassive black hole

Astronomers use rare 'double zoom' to view black hole corona in unprecedented detail

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

For the first time, astronomers have directly measured a solar-system-size corona around a distant supermassive black hole, thanks to a rare cosmic alignment.

Black Holes
An artist's rendering of a supermassive black hole with two smaller black holes merging as they orbit it

Scientists think they detected the first known triple black hole system in the universe — and then watched it die

By Harry Baker published

Chinese astronomers have spotted a hidden supermassive black hole in the background of a peculiar gravitational wave event from a black hole merger, hinting that all three singularities were locked in a never-before-seen triple system.

Black Holes

Exotic 'blazar' is part of most extreme double black hole system ever found, crooked jet suggests

By Keith Cooper Partner Content Created With Space. published

A beam of particles speeding away from a monstrous black hole is severely kinked, suggesting that the black hole is actually part of the most extreme binary system known.

This supermassive black hole is eating way too quickly — and 'burping' at near-light speeds

By Robert Lea Partner Content Created With Space. published

Using the XMM-Newton telescope, astronomers have witnessed high-speed "burps" erupting from a distant overfeeding supermassive black hole.

Astronomers discover black hole ripping a star apart inside a galactic collision. 'It is a peculiar event'

By Robert Lea Partner Content Created With Space. published

Astronomers have spotted a supermassive black hole ripping apart and devouring a star in colliding galaxies. It is only the second time a tidal disruption event has been seen in interacting galaxies.

A bright red arc of light seen against greyish red clouds in space. hundreds of stars dot the background

Incredible photo shows supermassive black hole blowing a jet of matter into interstellar space

By Samantha Mathewson published

A spiral galaxy known as NGC 4945 exhibits powerful winds of material blowing from the supermassive black hole located at its core in a new photo taken by the Very Large Telescope in Chile.

Black Holes
An artist's illustration of three black holes merging.

Scientists may have just discovered 300 of the rarest black holes in the universe

By Ben Turner published

How black holes grow to monstrous scales is one of astronomy's prevailing enigmas. A new record-breaking dataset, which reveals 300 potential 'missing link black holes', could help to unravel it.

Black Holes

'We were amazed': Astronomers discover oldest, biggest black hole jet in the known universe — and there may be more

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

Astronomers have used a continent-sized radio telescope to find the largest black hole jet ever observed in the early universe.

Black Holes
An image of the Inkathazo galaxy

Scientists discover giant galaxy 32 times bigger than Earth's — and they named it 'trouble'

By Jacinta Delhaize published

Scientists have discovered an enormous radio galaxy 32 times the size of the Milky Way. They nicknamed it "Inkathazo," or "trouble," as the team struggles to understand the physics behind it.

Astronomy
Radio images of 1ES 1927+654 reveal emerging structures that appear to be jets of plasma erupting from both sides of the galaxy’s central black hole following a strong radio flare.

'It was very fortunate timing': Astronomers watch 1st black hole to 'shut off' blast back to life

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

The first black hole that astronomers observed "turning off" just turned back on, releasing jets of hot gas into the cosmos.

Space Exploration
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