Category Archives: Black holes

Revealed: the oldest black hole ever observed, dating to dawn of universe

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Exclusive: astronomers surprised at size of 13bn-year-old object, which raises new questions about where black holes came from

Astronomers have detected the oldest black hole ever observed, dating back more than 13bn years to the dawn of the universe.

The observations, by the James Webb space telescope (JWST), reveal it to be at the heart of a galaxy 440m years after the big bang. At around a million times the mass of the sun, it is surprisingly big for a baby black hole, raising the question of how it grew so big so quickly.

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Supermassive black hole at heart of ancient galaxy ‘far larger than expected’

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Discovery of GS-9209, one of the furthest from the Milky Way, adds to evidence that large black holes prevent star formation, astronomers say

A supermassive black hole discovered at the heart of an ancient galaxy is five times larger than expected for the number of stars it contains, astronomers say.

Researchers spotted the immense black hole in a galaxy known as GS-9209 that lies 25bn light-years from Earth, making it one of the most distant to have been observed and recorded.

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Cosmic explosion last year may be ‘brightest ever seen’

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Astronomers say gamma-ray burst may have been result of star collapsing to form black hole

A cosmic explosion that blinded space instruments last year may be the brightest ever seen, according to astronomers.

The blast took place 2bn light years from Earth, producing a pulse of intense radiation that swept through the solar system in October last year.

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Astronomers detect light behind black hole for first time

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Telescope picks up unexpected ‘luminous echoes’ – smaller, later and of different colour to bright flares

Astronomers have detected light behind a black hole deep in space for the first time.

Bright flares of X-rays were spotted bursting from a supermassive black hole at the centre of a galaxy 800m light years away, which is relatively normal.

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Beyond Pluto: the hunt for our solar system’s new ninth planet

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Scientists think a planet larger than Earth lurks in the far reaches of the solar system. Now a new telescope could confirm their belief and change solar system science

You’d think that if you found the first evidence that a planet larger than the Earth was lurking unseen in the furthest reaches of our solar system, it would be a big moment. It would make you one of only a small handful of people in all of history to have discovered such a thing.

But for astronomer Scott Sheppard of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington DC, it was a much quieter affair. “It wasn’t like there was a eureka moment,” he says. “The evidence just built up slowly.”

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Scientists capture image of black hole emitting high-energy jets

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Detailed image taken by Event Horizon Telescope of black hole 5bn light years away

An image of a huge, powerful jet of plasma powered by a supermassive black hole has been captured by researchers in unprecedented detail.

The team say the bright blob on the left of the image is thought to be the disc of gas and dust swirling around the black hole, with the jet of plasma depicted by a stream of less intense red features apparently emanating from it.

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Black hole at centre of galaxy is getting hungrier, say scientists

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Scientists say Milky Way’s Sagittarius A* has been more active in recent months

Unseeable and inescapable, black holes already rank among the more sinister phenomena out in the cosmos. So it may come as disconcerting news that the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way appears to be growing hungrier.

Astronomers monitoring the colossal object, called Sagittarius A*, found that in the past year it appears to have consumed nearby matter at an unprecedented rate.

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Black hole may have swallowed neutron star, say astronomers

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Scientists analyse whether gravitational wave detectors picked up signs of collision

Astronomers may have spotted a neutron star being swallowed by a black hole for the first time, marked by a belch of gravitational waves rippling across the cosmos.

If confirmed, the detection by the twin Ligo detectors in the US and the Virgo detector in Italy would be the first evidence that black holes and neutron stars can pair up in binary systems. The observations could also reveal new details about the nature of such dramatic mergers, including whether the neutron star was ripped apart before crossing the black hole’s threshold or whether it slid seamlessly into oblivion.

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Black hole picture captured for first time in space breakthrough

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Network of eight radio telescopes around the world records revolutionary image

Astronomers have captured the first image of a black hole, heralding a revolution in our understanding of the universe’s most enigmatic objects.

The picture shows a halo of dust and gas, tracing the outline of a colossal black hole, at the heart of the Messier 87 galaxy, 55m light years from Earth.

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Scientists close to first sighting of black hole in the Milky Way

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International team say ‘spectacular’ data hints at historic breakthrough

Astronomers attempting to capture the first images of the black hole at the heart of the Milky Way have given early hints that the ambitious project has been successful.

The observations, by the Event Horizon Telescope, are expected to be unveiled in March in one of the most eagerly awaited scientific announcements of 2019. Now, a senior scientist on the project has said “spectacular” data was gathered during observations of two black holes, including Sagittarius A* at the centre of our own galaxy.

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