Articles tagged with Black Holes
A new study using Chandra X-ray Observatory results provides evidence that many supermassive black holes are spinning extremely rapidly. The research suggests that these fast-spinning black holes can drive powerful jets, pumping energy into their environment and affecting galaxy growth.
Astronomers predict hundreds of rogue black holes, each several thousand solar masses, could be roaming the Milky Way. The discovery challenges current understanding of black hole formation and detection.
Astronomers have discovered a rare type of star system containing a black hole that suddenly began glowing brightly with X-rays. The system, dubbed CXOU J132518.2-430304, is thought to be a binary star system where one star collapsed to form a black hole.
A team of scientists has identified astrophysical objects with charged particles reaching Earth at high energies. The Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina recorded the particles, which carry as much energy as a bullet or a tennis ball off Roger Federer's racket.
A study by scientists has found that the most energetic particles in the universe – ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays – are correlated with the centers of active galaxies hosting violent black holes. The sources are thought to be within 326 million light years, our local neighborhood in cosmic terms.
Scientists from 17 countries identify Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) as the most likely source of the highest-energy cosmic rays using data-gathering equipment designed at Michigan Tech. The findings, reported in Science journal, bring researchers closer to understanding the origin of ultra-high energy particles.
A team from Rochester Institute of Technology has confirmed that supermassive black holes launch rotating winds that shape galaxies and regulate their growth. The findings, reported in Nature, provide direct observational confirmation of a long-standing theory about quasar winds.
Astronomers have discovered a massive black hole with a mass 24 to 33 times that of our Sun, exceeding expectations. The discovery was made using two NASA satellites and suggests that stellar-mass black holes can be much larger than previously thought.
Researchers at Yale University have discovered a massive stellar black hole, located in a distant galaxy, which challenges the current understanding of how these objects form. The black hole has a mass of 15.65 times that of the sun and was detected using precise measurements of its gravitational effects on nearby stars.
Astronomers have found an exceptionally massive black hole in orbit around a huge companion star in the nearby galaxy M33, with a mass of 15.7 times that of the Sun. The discovery raises questions about how such a big black hole could have formed.
Astronomers have detected a huge burst of radio energy from the distant universe, suggesting a new area of study in astrophysics. The burst was so bright that it saturated equipment and could be equivalent to a large power station running for two billion years.
Researchers found a strong correlation between black hole presence and reduced star formation in heavy galaxies. The energy generated by massive black holes may heat up gas, preventing new stars from forming.
Duke University researchers have devised a method to test for the presence of naked singularities, potentially existing in certain instances. Their study suggests that high-spin black holes could shed their event horizon and become observable through gravitational lensing effects.
The universe's earliest stars, formed in warm dark matter strings, could help clarify whether the universe is made of warm or cold dark matter. These ancient stars would have formed in long filaments and could provide new insights into dark matter's energy and its impact on galaxy formation.
The National Research Council recommends pursuing the Joint Dark Energy Mission as the first mission in the 'Beyond Einstein' program, which aims to study dark energy. The report also suggests investing additional funds in technology development of the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) program.
An international team of astronomers has discovered a new type of active galaxy that was previously overlooked due to its heavy shrouding in gas and dust. The newly found galaxies are thought to comprise around 20% of the X-ray background, providing insight into supermassive black holes and their role in controlling galaxy formation.
A new study using Chandra finds that younger, more distant galaxy clusters contain far more actively growing supermassive black holes than older, nearby ones. This rapid growth allows these black holes to thrive and influence their host galaxies.
The BHCosmo simulation reveals the integral role of black holes in galaxy formation and cosmic evolution. It provides a deeper understanding of quasar formation and helps predict where to aim future telescopes for early cosmic events and galaxy structures.
The discovery reveals how efficient neutron stars can be as cosmic power factories and shows they rival black holes in generating powerful jets. The X-ray jet is found to be almost as efficient as one from a black hole, with a surprising high percentage of energy converted into powering the jet.
Physicists Tanmay Vachaspati, Dejan Stojkovic, and Lawrence M. Krauss propose a solution to the long-standing problem of information loss in black holes. They suggest that non-thermal radiation can carry information about collapsing matter beyond the event horizon.
Florida Tech associate professor Eric Perlman has received $490,400 in funding from NASA's Long-term Space Astrophysics grant program to study jets and their impact on cosmic rays. His work will access the Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory to further understanding of jet dynamics and emissions.
Researchers used supercomputers to simulate galaxy mergers, revealing the formation of a new type of structure - a central disk of gas that can be thousands of light years wide. The simulations predict that the gas in this disk will extract energy from the orbiting black holes, causing them to merge and produce strong gravitational waves.
Scientists at RIT have discovered that supermassive black holes can be thrown from galaxies at speeds of up to 4,000 km/s, significantly exceeding the escape velocity. The spin velocity determines the size and direction of the 'kick' or radiation recoil.
Astronomers discover a bright arc of extremely hot gas in a massive galaxy cluster, suggesting an exceptionally dramatic event, such as a collision between two clusters. The temperature and mass of the cluster make it a giant among giants, with a quadrillion suns' worth of mass bound by its hot gas.
The Hubble Space Telescope provides a detailed view of Messier 81, revealing young blue stars and glowing regions of fluorescent gas. The galaxy's central black hole is 15 times the mass of the Milky Way's black hole.
Astronomers using NASA's Swift satellite have discovered that energetic flares seen after gamma-ray bursts are a continuation of the burst itself. GRBs release enormous energy in seconds, and long-duration bursts come from massive star collapse, forming black holes or neutron stars.
Researchers used adaptive optics to precisely locate and study the environments of two supermassive black holes at the center of a galaxy merger. The observations revealed young star clusters and rotating disks of stars surrounding each black hole.
Astronomers have used adaptive optics technology to pinpoint two supermassive black holes in a colliding galaxy. The observations reveal the black holes reside at the center of rotating disks of stars and are surrounded by young star clusters.
Researchers discovered the location and makeup of a pair of supermassive black holes in a galaxy collision, using adaptive optics to clear atmospheric distortion. The discovery sheds light on the coevolution of black holes and galaxies, with implications for understanding galaxy evolution and properties.
Researchers have successfully applied a new method to determine the masses of black holes in binary systems, including Cygnus X-1 and NGC 5408. The technique takes advantage of X-ray observations of quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) and their relationship with the accretion disk.
The star's mass is estimated at between 100 and 200 times that of the sun, making it one of the rarest types of massive stars. The supernova's brightness and longevity are attributed to its potential as a pair-instability supernova, which would produce a significant amount of heavy elements.
Scientists confirm size of hot gas disk around supermassive black hole, measuring its size as seven times the distance between Earth and Sun. The disk is found to be 10 times smaller than predicted event horizon, consistent with theoretical predictions.
The AEGIS survey provides a unique combination of deep, intensive observations over a wide area, yielding large samples even of rare types of galaxies. The study reveals a time when galaxies were starting to reach maturity, with high star formation rates and powerful black holes at their centers.
Astrophysicists discovered a mechanism that produces high-energy gamma rays from the Milky Way's black hole, accelerating protons to unprecedented speeds. The process creates high-energy gamma rays through collisions between accelerated protons and hydrogen gas.
Astronomers have discovered a powerful outburst from the giant black hole at the Milky Way's center using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. The light echo revealed by the X-ray echo was about 1,000 times brighter and lasted well over 1,000 times longer than recent outbursts.
Astronomers found a trio of supermassive black holes in the Virgo constellation, 10.5 billion light-years away, with same redshift and distinct properties, raising questions about galaxy interactions and fundamental relationships between galaxies and black holes.
Researchers found that quasars with large black holes are more variable than those with low black hole masses, changing brightness by up to 15% over a year. The study's findings provide new insights into the physics behind quasar variability and could help astronomers decipher underlying mechanisms.
Computer simulations show that supermassive black hole (SMBH) triple interactions occur frequently, even in the present-day universe. These violent encounters can lead to SMBH binaries being kicked out of galaxies and wandering through space.
Scientists have discovered a supermassive black hole at the heart of a dwarf elliptical galaxy, VCC128, located 54 million light years away. The finding is significant as it shows that even small galaxies can host massive black holes, challenging previous assumptions.
Astronomers observe two long gamma-ray bursts that defy the consensus of supernova association, suggesting multiple ways to produce black holes and gamma-rays. The discoveries indicate a rich diversity in cosmic events and challenge the prevailing model of massive stellar death.
Recent gamma-ray bursts suggest a new kind of cosmic explosion involving newly formed black holes swallowing parent star matter. Astronomers observe no supernovae associated with these events, which could be due to massive stars dying without producing explosions.
Astronomers found that black holes of all sizes follow the same 'feeding' process, with characteristic timescales changing linearly with mass and inversely with accretion rate. This discovery helps determine black hole masses in hard-to-reach cases.
Astrophysicists discover gamma-ray variability on days around M87's central black hole, revealing emission region size of approximately 0.000001% of the galaxy's size. This discovery confirms M87 as a unique extragalactic source and hints at novel production mechanisms for high-energy particles.
Scientists have detected loops and rings of hot gas surrounding the supermassive black hole, indicating periodic eruptions that generate pressure waves and sound. The sound waves are found to be more discordant and complex than previously detected, with a range of frequencies below middle C.
For the first time, astronomers have looked inside quasars and seen evidence of black holes. They measured the size of the accretion disk around a smaller area emitting X-rays, providing further confirmation that quasars are made up of super-massive black holes and heated disks.
A team of astronomers discovered that many large galaxies in the early universe had a low stellar birth rate, suggesting a cosmic 'birth control' mechanism that prevented excessive star formation. The study found that these galaxies formed stars when the universe was just 20% of its current age.
Astronomers are using supercomputers to study the energy levels of high-temperature atoms in space, which hold the key to understanding black holes. The new calculations reduce error rates by a few percent, providing more accurate data for X-ray telescope observations.
New X-ray data from Chandra reveals that magnetic fields are responsible for the prodigious amounts of radiation emitted by super-massive black holes. The discovery uses a scale model in our galaxy to understand how all black holes work, including those powering quasars.
Researchers have found that the most energetic radiation from a quasar's jet comes from extremely energetic particles, not as previously thought. The particles are accelerated locally and produce their emission through synchrotron radiation.
Researchers predict that braneworld black holes, created in the early universe, have survived and can be detected by observing gamma-ray bursts passing near them. The signature of these black holes could provide evidence for a fourth dimension of space.
Black holes are surprisingly efficient at producing energy, with most of the energy released by matter falling toward a supermassive black hole going into high-energy jets. The study also shows that these jets create huge bubbles in the hot gas of galaxies, preventing new stars from forming.
The discovery of a double helix nebula near the Milky Way's black hole center suggests an extremely strong and highly ordered magnetic field. This twisting wave is thought to be caused by the interaction between the galaxy's magnetic field lines and a disk of gas orbiting the black hole.
Researchers analyze gamma-ray burst GRB 050904 to understand the conditions of the early universe. The burst, detected in 2005, provides a probe to study the universe beyond the reach of large telescopes.
Researchers have discovered a large number of supermassive black holes, outnumbering initial estimates, using deep X-ray surveys. The findings suggest that these black holes are more stable over time than previously thought.
Scientists discover an unusual X-ray tunnel large enough to fit the entire Milky Way galaxy inside a galaxy cluster. The tunnel is filled with old particles likely originating from past black hole outbursts, shedding light on the complex battle between the inward flow of hot gas and outward radio jets.
A team of researchers from UCLA has discovered a group of over 30 young stars near a supermassive black hole, contradicting the idea that such an environment should prevent star formation. The stars' orbits suggest they formed in a massive star cluster and migrated towards the black hole.
Researchers have discovered a remarkably stable indentation in the fabric of space and time, created by the spin of a black hole. The finding is based on identical patterns observed in X-ray light emitted near the black hole nine years apart, using NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer.
A team from MIT and Harvard found that a certain type of X-ray explosion common on neutron stars is never seen around their black hole cousins, indicating the presence of an event horizon. The absence of surface explosions called X-ray bursts suggests that gas released by nearby stars vanishes into a void.
Two new studies using Hubble Ultra Deep Field data show a link between galaxy assembly and supermassive black hole growth. Tadpole galaxies, with bright knots and tails caused by mergers, suggest that black holes are enshrouded in dust, making them invisible during the merging process.
Astronomers have discovered that massive clouds of hot gas in elliptical galaxies are being stirred up by intermittent explosive activity from central super-massive black holes. This finding challenges the long-held assumption that these galaxies are quiet and stable, revealing a more dynamic and stormy reality.