supermassive black holes – Astronomy Now

A record-setting explosion as a supermassive black hole gorges on gas

15 May 2023 Astronomy Now

A supermassive black hole gorging on surrounding gas produces the brightest ongoing explosion yet observed.

A sharper image of the massive black hole lurking at the heart of M87

13 April 2023 Astronomy Now

Using machine learning, researchers have sharpened the Event Horizon Telescope’s iconic view of the black hole lurking at the heart of galaxy M87

Dealer’s choice: Hubble spots a quasar, an AGN and a Seyfert galaxy all in one

4 April 2023 Astronomy Now

The Hubble Space Telescope spots an luminous galaxy that defies simple classification, meeting the definition of an AGN (active galactic nucleus), a quasar or a Seyfert galaxy all at once.

Supermassive black holes not impressive enough? Try the ultramassive version

29 March 2023 Astronomy Now

Gravitational lensing helps astronomers find one of the most massive black holes yet discovered, a 30-billion solar mass monster at the heart of a remote galaxy.

X (rays) mark the spot where a black hole ate a star

23 September 2021 Astronomy Now

An elusive intermediate-mass black hole blamed for star’s destruction in tidal disruption event.

Supermassive black hole triggers blazing ring of star formation around galactic core

24 June 2021 Astronomy Now

A supermassive black hole at the heart of galaxy NGC 1097 powers a brilliant nuclear ring of run-away star formation as imaged by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope.

The light-bending dance of binary black holes captured in mesmerising animation

21 April 2021 Astronomy Now

Using a supercomputer, researchers modelled the light-bending spectacle of two supermassive black holes locked in a space-warping gravitational dance.

A multi-instrument view of M61, showcasing its luminous heart and winding arms

11 April 2021 Astronomy Now

Discovered in 1779, M61 serves as a brilliant subject for ground- and space-based telescopes alike, with spiral arms bursting with young stars and a luminous core harboring a supermassive black hole.

Polarised light shows magnetic field around M87’s black hole

24 March 2021 Astronomy Now

The Event Horizon Telescope collaborations provides a fresh look, in polarised light, at M87’s supermassive black hole.

A surprising swarm of black holes found in nearby globular cluster

11 February 2021 Astronomy Now

Astronomers find signs of multiple stellar-mass black holes at the heart of a nearby globular cluster.