Astronomers witness ultra-fast winds erupt from a supermassive black hole
Astronomers have witnessed a dramatic and never-before-seen event near a supermassive black hole: an intense X-ray flare that, within hours, triggered ultra-fast winds blasting...
Did black holes change over time? Astronomers question a 50-year-old rule about quasars
Astronomers have uncovered surprising evidence that challenges a long-standing rule about quasars, some of the brightest objects in the universe.
The discovery suggests that the...
Supermassive black holes are picky eaters during galaxy mergers, study finds
Black holes are famous for their enormous appetites, pulling in gas, dust, and even light itself.
But new research shows that even the largest black...
Scientists challenge the idea that every galaxy has a black hole
A new study using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory suggests that many small galaxies may not contain supermassive black holes at their centers after all.
This...
Scientists discover a hidden black hole monster from the early universe
Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have uncovered a surprising cosmic impostor lurking in the early universe.
The object, a distant galaxy nicknamed...
Scientists capture a rare cosmic dance caused by a rapidly rotating black hole
Astronomers have made an extraordinary discovery that brings one of Einstein’s lesser-known predictions to life.
For the first time, scientists have observed a swirling distortion...
Scientists discover a fast-spinning red giant star orbiting a silent black hole
Astronomers have uncovered the unusual history of a distant red giant star by “listening” to tiny vibrations rippling through it.
These vibrations, known as starquakes,...
Hunting for wandering black holes in dwarf galaxies
Tracking down black holes at the center of dwarf galaxies has proven difficult.
In part that is because they have a tendency to “wander” and...
The impossible black holes that shouldn’t exist
In 2023, gravitational wave detectors picked up the signature of a collision 7 billion light years away.
Two black holes had merged in an explosion...
The mystery of the colliding black holes solved
In 2023, astronomers detected one of the most extraordinary cosmic events ever seen — a collision between two enormous black holes, located about seven...