Black Holes
Two Supermassive Black Holes on the Verge of a Merger
Researchers have been keeping an eye on the center of a galaxy located about a billion light-years away. Every few…
Astronomers Map the Shape of a Black Hole's Corona for the First Time
The Sun is surrounded by the corona, a region of superheated gas above the surface that can be millions of…
Early Black Holes Fed 40x Faster than Should Be Possible
The theory goes that black holes accrete material, often from nearby stars. However the theory also suggests there is a…
How Did Supermassive Black Holes Get So Big, So Early? They Might Have Had a Head Start
Supermassive Black Holes (SMBHs) can have billions of solar masses, and observational evidence suggests that all large galaxies have one…
Using Light Echoes to Find Black Holes
The speed of light gives astronomers a special trick when examining the tangled-up gravitational well around a black hole. Researchers…
A Star Disappeared in Andromeda, Replaced by a Black Hole
Massive stars about eight times more massive than the Sun explode as supernovae at the end of their lives. The…
We Understand Rotating Black Holes Even Less Than We Thought
The theory of black holes has several mathematical oddities. Recent research shows our understanding of rotating black holes might not…
Another Way to Extract Energy From Black Holes?
Black holes are incredible powerhouses, but they might generate even more energy thanks to an unusual effect known as frame…
The Connection Between Black Holes and Dark Energy is Getting Stronger
The discovery of the accelerated expansion of the Universe has often been attributed to the force known as dark energy.…
The Milky Way’s Supermassive Black Hole Photo Might Need a Retake
Remember that amazing "first image" of Sagittarius A* (Sgr A) black hole at the heart of the Milky Way? Well,…