New Hubble view of the Lagoon Nebula

Astronomers have discovered evidence for an unusual kind of black hole born extremely early in the universe. They showed that a recently discovered unusual source of intense radiation is likely powered by a “direct-collapse black hole,” a type of object predicted by theorists more than a decade ago.

Located in the rich Virgo cluster, a collection of more than 1,300 galaxies, NGC 4388 is classified as a spiral, but gravitational interactions with other members of the cluster are giving it a “confused” identity with features similar to those found in elliptical galaxies.

Observations by the Hubble Space Telescope and ESO’s Very Large Telescope indicate processes that may limit the habitability of planets orbiting dwarf stars.