Black Hole

Last year, astronomers were fascinated by a runaway asteroid passing through our Solar System from somewhere far beyond. It was moving at around 68 kilometres per second, just over double Earth’s speed around the Sun. Imagine if it had been something much bigger and faster: a black hole travelling at…

This image is the sum of 86 observations added together, representing over three million seconds of Chandra observing time. It spans just about 60 light-years across, which is a veritable pinprick on the entire sky. The underlying image contains lower-, medium-, and higher-energy X-rays in red, green, and blue respectively.…

Ryan Wills for New Scientist/Adobe Stock Rushing to get to work in the morning, we grab our coat, bag and keys and – invariably – steal a glance at the clock to check that we are running on time. The passing of time is so integral to our day-to-day lives…

In the early universe, astronomers found a rare light that breaks the rules of how black holes grow. Researchers from Waseda University and Tohoku University, working with the Subaru Telescope, have uncovered a quasar, J084222.9+001000 (hereafter ID830), a cosmic powerhouse that existed nearly 12 billion years ago. This quasar is…

January 24, 2026 3 min read Add Us On Google Add SciAm Radio images captured this “cosmic volcano” being reborn at the heart of the galaxy J1007+3540 By K. R. Callaway edited by Lee Billings After 100 million years of dormancy, the supermassive black hole at the center of galaxy…

An international team of astronomers led by researchers from Waseda University and Tohoku University has identified an unusual quasar in the early Universe that contains one of the fastest-growing supermassive black holes known for its size. Data from the Subaru Telescope show a surprising mix of traits. The quasar is…

New state-of-the-art simulations by Maynooth University astronomers show that in the dense, turbulent dawn of the cosmos, ‘light seed’ black holes could rapidly swallow matter and rival the colossal black holes seen in the center of early galaxies. Computer visualization showing baby black holes growing in a young galaxy in…

Black holes in the early Universe appear to have grown far faster than scientists once believed. Astronomers have long struggled to explain how black holes became enormous so early in the Universe’s history. Observations show that some reached supermassive proportions in a cosmic blink of an eye...Read More

This artist’s rendering illustrates a precessing jet erupting from the supermassive black hole at the center of galaxy VV 340a. (Image credit: W. M. Keck Observatory / Adam Makarenko) It's a well-known fact that supermassive black holes (SMBH) play a vital role in the evolution of galaxies. Their powerful gravity…

Primordial black holes could rewrite our understanding of dark matter and the early universe. A record-breaking detection at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea has some physicists wondering if we just spotted one. Strings of optical modules like this make up the underwater KM3NET neutrino detector. Courtesy of KM3NET Introduction…