News – Page 36 – Astronomy Now

Record-setting ultra-massive black hole found at heart of galaxy cluster

5 December 2019 Astronomy Now

The central elliptical galaxy in a cluster 700 million light years away harbours a record-setting black hole with the mass of 40 billion Suns.

Scientists conclude planets possible around supermassive black holes

2 December 2019 Astronomy Now

Astronomers theorize supermassive black holes at the hearts of many if not all large galaxies could host thousands of large planets out to distances up to 10 light years.

Interstellar Comet 2I/Borisov sports 160,000-kilometre-long tail

27 November 2019 Astronomy Now

As interstellar Comet 2I/Borisov nears its closest point to the Sun on 8 December, a long tail of icy debris has formed stretching some 160,000 kilometres.

Earth’s magnetic field ‘sings’ during energetic solar storms

26 November 2019 Astronomy Now

Data from the European Space Agency’s Cluster satellites allow scientists to listen in as solar storms interact with Earth’s magnetic field.

Radio telescope spots 27 previously unknown supernova remnants

25 November 2019 Astronomy Now

A new look at the central regions of the Milky Way, captured by the Murchison Widefield Array in Australia, has revealed 27 previously unknown supernova remnants.

Astronomers thrilled by most powerful gamma ray burst to date

24 November 2019 Astronomy Now

Astronomers have spotted the most powerful gamma ray burst to date, a titanic explosion that emitted radiation a trillion times more energetic than visible light.

A galactic train wreck with three supermassive black holes

23 November 2019 Astronomy Now

A third supermassive black hole has been found near the heart of an ongoing collision of three massive galaxies 300 million light years from Earth.

New technique touted for spotting elusive black hole mergers

18 November 2019 Astronomy Now

Black holes merging in the accretion disc of a supermassive black hole like the one at the core of the Milky Way might generate a visible signature, astronomers say.

Magnetized plasma jets likely mechanism for heating Sun’s corona

17 November 2019 Astronomy Now

Astronomers have found evidence for a complex mechanism that may explain how the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, is driven to such extreme temperatures.

Milky Way’s central black hole flings star out of galaxy

13 November 2019 Astronomy Now

A star has been spotted racing out of the Milky Way at more than 6 million kph after a close encounter with the galaxy’s central supermassive black hole.