Black Holes
Future Gravitational Wave Observatories Could See the Earliest Black Hole Mergers in the Universe
In February 2016, scientists at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) confirmed they made the first-ever detection of gravitational waves…
A Black Hole has Almost Halted Star Formation in its Galaxy
When the James Webb Space Telescope was launched on Christmas Day in 2021, it faced a whole host of intriguing…
Two Supermassive Black Holes on a Collision Course With Each Other
Galaxy collisions are foundational events in the Universe. They happen when two systems mingle stars in a cosmic dance. They…
The Milky Way’s Supermassive Black Hole Might Have Formed 9 Billion Years Ago
Large galaxies like ours are hosts to Supermassive Black Holes (SMBHs.) They can be so massive that they resist comprehension,…
Simulating the Accretion Disk Around a Black Hole
Black holes are by their very nature, challenging to observe and difficult to spot. It's usually observations of the accretion…
The Surprising Source of Radiation Coming From Black Holes
Black holes are famous for sucking in everything that crosses their event horizons, including light. So, why do astronomers see…
Dark Matter Could Have Driven the Growth of Early Supermassive Black Holes
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) keeps finding supermassive black holes (SMBH) in the early Universe. They're in active galactic…
A New Test Proves How to Make the Event Horizon Telescope Even Better
Want a clear view of a supermassive black hole's environment? It's an incredible observational challenge. The extreme gravity bends light…
Life Needs Black Holes to Survive
Life is rare, and it requires exactly the right environmental mix to establish itself. And there's one surprising contributor to…
We Know When a Black Hole Will Have its Next Feast
Black holes are notoriously destructive to stars near them. Astronomers often see flashes representing the death throes of stars collapsing…