Black Hole

Astronomers studying the supermassive black hole M87*, a behemoth six and a half billion times the mass of the Sun, have uncovered a new way these cosmic monsters unleash their power. Using cutting-edge simulations, scientists at Goethe University Frankfurt revealed that not just magnetic fields, but a process called magnetic…

Some theorists think unusual event could be a black hole devouring a star from within...Read More

Could this be an illustration of the entire universe? Arlume / Alamy The following is an extract from our Lost in Space-Time newsletter. Each month, we hand over the keyboard to a physicist or mathematician to tell you about fascinating ideas from their corner of the universe. You can  sign…

Space An analysis of the afterglow of the big bang sheds light on how black holes distribute mass in the universe, and why some matter previously seemed to have been missing By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan Facebook / Meta Twitter / X icon Linkedin Reddit Email Black holes are extremely powerful matter…

Astronomers have detected the most distant and powerful "odd radio circle" (ORC) ever observed. These mysterious rings are a relatively recent addition to astronomy, first identified only six years ago. So far, only a few have been confirmed, and they are truly massive -- spanning 10 to 20 times the…

Black holes are eaters of all things, even radiation. But what if their rapacious appetites had an unexpected side effect? A new study published in Physical Review Letters suggests that black holes might spew dark energy—and that they could help explain an intriguing conflict between different measurements of the universe.…

A black hole in a distant quasar is growing faster than the usual limit, according to Chandra observations. This may explain how the first supermassive black holes emerged. Astronomers have identified a black hole growing at one of the fastest rates ever observed. The finding, made with NASA’s Chandra X-ray…

JWST reveals M87's jet (pink) stretching across a hazy violet backdrop, with knots, twists, and even a faint counter-jet streaming from the galaxy's black hole. (Image credit: Jan Röder, Maciek Wielgus et al., Astronomy & Astrophysics (2025)) For more than a century, astronomers have marveled at the brilliant jet of…

The Milky Way’s galactic center (inset) is home to strange, death-defying stars that manage to survive close encounters with our galaxy’s supermassive black hole. New research reveals the unintended side effects of these daring flybys. (Image credit: ESA–C. Carreau) Black holes are often seen as cosmic monsters that swallow anything…

Christian Gralingen Some things in cosmology may simply be unknowable. Why is there something rather than nothing? What lies outside the universe? What is inside a black hole? That last one has been niggling at astrophysicists for more than a century, but they may finally be on the brink of…