black holes – Astronomy Now

Most massive black hole yet discovered redefines ‘gargantuan’

1 July 2020 Astronomy Now

Astronomers find a supermassive black hole 8,000 times more massive than the one at the heart of the Milky Way.

Astronomers find closest black hole yet in ‘nearby’ star system

8 May 2020 Astronomy Now

Astronomers have stumbled on the closest black hole to Earth discovered to date, an unseen body in a triple star system 1,000 light years away.

Intermediate mass ‘missing link’ black hole identified

2 April 2020 Astronomy Now

The Hubble Space Telescope provides strong evidence that a presumed tidal disruption event was caused by an intermediate-mass black hole.

Analysis shows black hole images feature data-rich substructure

20 March 2020 Astronomy Now

Theoretical analysis suggests higher-resolution images of nested photon rings will provide a direct measure of a black hole’s size and spin.

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.

New computer simulation brings black holes to life

26 September 2019 William Harwood

A new computer simulation shows how a black hole’s titanic gravity warps space and bends the light emitted by super-heated debris in a surrounding accretion disc.

Most massive neutron star near black hole tipping point

18 September 2019 Astronomy Now

The most massive neutron star yet discovered appears to be at the tipping point defining the limits of mass versus gravity.

Black hole’s gravitational ringing supports ‘no hair’ theorem

12 September 2019 Astronomy Now

Researchers hear “overtones” in gravity waves generated by black hole merger, confirming predictions of relativity theory and supporting “no hair” theorem.