Black Hole

Supermassive black holes are believed to be at the heart of every galaxy, but how did they get so big? Likely by gobbling up other black holes, astronomers say.  Unfortunately, supermassive black holes in close proximity to each other have proved difficult to find—until now. New research from the Max…

An illustration showing a clustering of tiny primordial black holes that could account for dark matter. (Image credit: Robert Lea (created with Canva)) Ripples in the very fabric of space and time called "gravitational waves" may have provided the first tantalizing evidence of tiny black holes born during the Big…

Astronomers have spotted an intriguing triple-galaxy system, nicknamed "The Stingray," that dates to when the universe was just over 1.1 billion years old. A new analysis of the celestial sea creature has revealed an object that may provide clues about the nature of mysterious cosmic objects dubbed "little red dots"…

Astronomers studying the galaxy Mrk 501 have identified a second jet of matter near its core, an unexpected feature in a system thought to host a single supermassive black hole. The discovery comes from more than two decades of high-resolution radio observations, collected across dozens of sessions and multiple frequencies…

It's possible the two black holes could merge within the next century. Credit: Deposit Photos Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Supermassive black holes literally don’t add up. Astrophysicists know it takes more time than is mathematically possible for one…

In 2023, scientists detected a subatomic particle called a neutrino hitting Earth with an energy level so extreme it seemed impossible. No known cosmic process can generate that much energy. The particle carried about 100,000 times more energy than anything ever produced by the Large Hadron Collider, the most powerful…

Mary Wansey has spent 19 bleak months stranded in a Canberra hospital room while she waits for a place in aged care. "We've fallen into a black hole," she said. "It just seems it doesn't matter what we do or where we apply." In August 2024, while she was living…

Skip to content LIGO data hints at supernovae so powerful they leave nothing behind Pair instability supernovae create a “mass gap” in black holes. Many of the early exoplanet discoveries were exciting on their own, confirming that there really were strange new worlds out in the Universe. But over time,…

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume 123, Issue 14, April 2026.

Powerful radiation from active supermassive black holes, which are believed to sit at the center of most galaxies, can do more than shape their own surroundings. A new study led by Yongda Zhu at the University of Arizona suggests these black holes can also slow the formation of stars in…