Monster black hole M87 is spinning at 80% of the cosmic...
The monster black hole lurking at the center of galaxy M87 is an absolute beast. It is one of the largest in our vicinity and was the ideal first target for the Event Horizon Telescope. Scientists have taken a fresh look at the supermassive black hole using those iconic Event Horizon Telescope images and have…
Facing steep funding cuts, scientists propose using black holes as particle...
In the face of eye-watering costs, long construction times and the Trump administration's slashing of federal science funding, physicists have proposed a cheaper alternative to the next-generation of particle supercolliders — peering into black holes.Scientists initially hoped that the elusive particles that make up dark matter would be spat out by high-energy proton collisions inside…
Astronomers discover black hole ripping a star apart inside a galactic...
Astronomers have taken a detailed look at a rare and incredibly violent cosmic event resulting from an unfortunate star venturing too close to a supermassive black hole. The team behind the research hopes it could reveal more about how such events, dubbed "tidal disruption events" or "TDEs," influence the evolution of their host galaxies.These brutal…
Not ‘Little Red Dots’ or roaring quasars: James Webb telescope uncovers...
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have unveiled a hidden population of supermassive black holes in the early universe that have never been seen before.This fascinating discovery could bridge the gap between classical quasars and the lesser-known "Little Red Dots" recently detected near the dawn of time, which may represent baby quasars.Classical quasars…
Black holes: Facts about the darkest objects in the universe
Quick facts about black holesWhat they are: Places in space where gravity is so strong that nothing can escapeHow they form: When a massive star collapses in on itselfWhy they're black: Their gravitational pull is so extreme that even light can't escapeBlack holes are places where gravity is so powerful that nothing — not even…
The rarest black holes in the universe may be ‘wandering’ our...
The Milky Way has millions of small black holes and one giant supermassive black hole at its center. But does the galaxy have any medium-sized black holes? New research suggests the answer is yes: Perhaps a dozen may inhabit the Milky Way, but they are wandering freely through space and are fiendishly difficult to detect.For…
A dozen black holes may be ‘wandering’ through our galaxy —...
The Milky Way has millions of small black holes and one giant supermassive black hole at its center. But does the galaxy have any medium-sized black holes? New research suggests the answer is yes: Perhaps a dozen may inhabit the Milky Way, but they are wandering freely through space and are fiendishly difficult to detect.For…
Physicists create ‘black hole bomb’ for first time on Earth, validating...
Researchers have created a "black hole bomb" in the lab for the first time.In 1972, physicists William Press and Saul Teukolsky described a theoretical phenomenon called a black hole bomb, in which mirrors enclose, reflect and exponentially amplify waves emanating from a rotating black hole.Now, in a new study, physicists from the University of Southampton,…
James Webb Space Telescope finds a wild black hole growth spurt...
Astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to peer back in time over 10 billion years, observing an early era in cosmic history. In doing so, the team from the University of Kansas (KU) found ravenous black holes at the hearts of galaxies during "cosmic noon" experiencing a wild growth spurt.Cosmic noon is…
Has the James Webb Space Telescope discovered a ‘missing’ supermassive black...
Scientists have long believed that monster-sized supermassive black holes lurk at the heart of all large galaxies. That means that the failure to detect such a cosmic titan at the heart of the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, officially known as Messier 83 (M83), has been a frustrating conundrum.Now, using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers…
