Astronomers have captured the first image of polarized light and the magnetic fields surrounding Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milly Way. The historic observation made with the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) has revealed that the neatly arranged magnetic fields resemble those around the supermassive black hole at… Read More »
Astronomers have discovered one of the most powerful black hole eruptions ever – and this immense explosion, which took place almost 4 billion years ago, formed a pattern of stars in clusters that resemble jewelry. The star chain adorns a huge cluster of hundreds of galaxies called SDSS J1531; this body is located about 3.8… Read More »
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have discovered an ‘extremely red’ supermassive black hole growing in the shadowy early universe. The red hue of the supermassive black hole, seen as it appeared about 700 million years after the Big Bang, is the result of the expanding universe. As the universe moves outward in… Read More »
A newly discovered quasar is a real record breaker. It is not only the brightest quasar ever seen, but also the brightest astronomical object ever seen. It’s also powered by the hungriest and fastest-growing black hole ever seen – a hole that consumes the equivalent of more than one solar mass per day. The quasar,… Read More »
The supermassive black hole in the center of our galaxy spins so fast that it warps spacetime into an oval shape reminiscent of an American football (or a rugby ball for any non-American readers!). The finding comes from a careful study of radio and X-ray observations. According to Albert Einstein‘S theory of general relativityWhen a… Read More »
“Which came first: the galaxy or its monstrous black hole?” Technically, it’s an even older riddle than the chicken or the egg, even though we only became aware of it relatively recently. And according to new research, scientists may finally have an answer. It has long been believed that supermassive black holes that existed close… Read More »
Astronomers have spotted a supermassive black hole in Earth’s cosmic backyard, emitting jets of matter at near-light speeds. These outflows tell the story of a battle for supremacy between magnetism and gravity. The discovery could help scientists better understand how black holes feed on matter and emit powerful jets that reach far beyond their host… Read More »
Astronomers have discovered a mysterious object in the Milky Way that is more massive than the most massive neutron star, but lighter than the smallest black hole. The mysterious body could help scientists better determine where the dividing line lies between neutron stars and black holes, both of which are formed when a massive star… Read More »
Scientists are still searching for the source of the faint, persistent hum of gravitational waves discovers echoing through the Milky Way last year. Those waves could point to more than one tempting source, new research suggests. The research team, the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves, or NANOGrav, strongly suspects that there are ripples… Read More »