Articles tagged with Black Holes
Researchers have detected a smaller black hole in the binary system OJ287 for the first time, confirming its existence through observations of 26 predicted flares and gamma ray signals. The bigger black hole weighs over 18 billion times the mass of our Sun.
Astrophysicists suggest that the cocoons surrounding dying massive stars could be a new source of gravitational waves. These cocoons are turbulent, energetic places where hot gases and debris mix randomly and expand in all directions from the jet, perturbing space-time to create ripples of gravitational waves.
Researchers confirm Stephen Hawking's theory that black holes will eventually evaporate through Hawking radiation. New findings suggest gravity and spacetime curvature cause this radiation, affecting all large objects in the universe.
A new population of shorter, horizontally-oriented filaments has been discovered near Sagittarius A*, the galaxy's central supermassive black hole. These filaments are thought to be tied to the outflow of hot material from the black hole, providing insights into its spin and accretion disk orientation.
Researchers discovered that black hole jets exhibit surprising variability in x-ray emissions over short time scales, contradicting a long-held theory. This finding opens up new possibilities for understanding particle acceleration in these jets and potentially elsewhere in the universe.
Astronomers using Hubble have found evidence for an intermediate-mass black hole in the globular star cluster Messier 4, weighing approximately 800 solar masses. The discovery uses precise measurements of stellar motion to rule out alternative theories and suggests a single, compact black hole at the center.
A team of astronomers has observed the most luminous quasar in 9 billion years, shedding light on its interaction with its environment. The study found that the quasar's black hole is growing at a rate of 100 solar masses per year and emitting powerful winds into the host galaxy.
Researchers have developed a quantum simulator to study curved spacetime, demonstrating phenomena such as gravitational lensing effects in atomic clouds. This new tool provides a deeper understanding of the connection between relativity and quantum theory.
A recent study published in Science found that tidal shocks can occur when a star collides with itself as it orbits a black hole. This discovery contradicts the current understanding of stellar matter evolution during Tidal Disruption Events (TDEs), which typically produce X-ray bright accretion disks.
A study by UCLA astronomers reveals that none of the 16 young supermassive stars orbiting the Milky Way's black hole are found in pairs, contradicting previous assumptions about stellar formation. The researchers suggest that the extreme environment around the black hole may be driving nearby binary stars to merge or be disrupted.
The explosion, known as AT2021lwx, is more than ten times brighter than any known supernova and has lasted for nearly three years, compared to most supernovae which are only visibly bright for a few months. The researchers believe that the explosion is a result of a vast cloud of gas being violently disrupted by a supermassive black hole.
Researchers have found that supermassive black holes are more likely to grow and release energy when inside galaxies expected to collide. The study used a new technique to determine galaxy distances, providing insight into the growth of these black holes during cosmic noon.
Researchers characterize 106 dim blazars to test the blazar sequence theory, exploring black hole growth and general relativity. The study reveals that lower-energy peaks for dim blazars peak in blue, higher-energy light, extending current knowledge of the pattern.
Researchers at IAC propose that a mysterious trail of stars may be a galaxy without a bulge seen edge-on. The study finds surprising agreement with a local galaxy, IC5249, and suggests that the object behaves like a typical galaxy. This new theory simplifies the explanation for the phenomenon.
An international research team explores ultra-fast gas emissions from active galactic nuclei, which significantly change galaxy ecosystems. The study confirms the existence of these powerful emissions and their role in regulating star formation.
Scientists identify tidal disruption event at infrared wavelengths, revealing the closest example of a black hole devouring a star. The discovery suggests that conventional X-ray and optical surveys may have missed similar events in young, star-forming galaxies.
Researchers discovered two massive touching stars that will eventually become black holes and collide, generating waves in space-time. The stars are currently feeding each other every three days before the smaller star collapses into a black hole in 700,000 years.
A team of researchers developed a self-checking deep learning system that accurately extracts information from gravitational-wave data. The algorithm, called DINGO, has been trained to interpret real data and can cross-check its own results for accuracy.
A team at Aalto University captured the first-ever image of a supermassive black hole and its associated jet using Event Horizon Telescope technology. The successful image revealed insights into the environment around black holes and their role in shaping galaxy evolution.
For the first time, astronomers have imaged a black hole's shadow along with its powerful jet. The new image reveals more details about the location and energy of highly energetic electrons and magnetic fields. Scientists also discovered that the black hole is not very hungry, consuming matter at a low rate.
An international team of scientists has produced an image showing both the ring-like accretion structure around a black hole and the associated relativistic jet. The study provides new insights into the connection between the accretion flow near the central supermassive black hole and the origin of the jet.
Astronomers have captured new images of M87*, revealing a thicker, fluffier ring that is 50% larger than the initial image. The team detected plasma from an accretion disk and observed a relativistic jet blasting out from the black hole.
Astronomers have observed for the first time the shadow of a black hole and the powerful jet expelled from it in the same image. The new image shows how the base of the jet connects with the matter swirling around a supermassive black hole, allowing scientists to better understand how black holes create energetic jets.
Astronomers have discovered a supermassive black hole consuming a giant star, producing a long-lived transient object that is orders of magnitude brighter and more energetic than any recorded before. The object, named Scary Barbie, has lasted over two years and may be visible for years to come.
Astrophysicists have discovered that intermediate-mass black holes eat stars in a series of violent passages, ejecting the leftovers across the galaxy. The star's remains create a signature that might help astronomers pinpoint these elusive objects.
Scientists have discovered that quasars are ignited by galaxies crashing together, a process that drives gas towards supermassive black holes and releases extraordinary amounts of energy. This finding provides a significant step forward in understanding how these powerful objects are triggered and fuelled.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have simulated an object called a topological soliton, which distorts space like a black hole but behaves differently when releasing weak light rays. The findings suggest there could be other types of celestial bodies in space hiding from even the best telescopes.
The Indian government has granted final approvals for LIGO-India, a gravitational-wave detector that will improve the localization of sources. The facility will join a global network, increasing precision and filling blind spots, enabling scientists to study black holes and the universe's expansion.
Astronomers have mapped the M87 galaxy's 3D structure and determined its supermassive black hole has a mass of 5.37 billion times that of the sun. The galaxy's asymmetrical shape allows for more precise measurements, including the rotation rate of 25 kilometers per second around an axis 40 degrees from the long axis.
A machine learning technique called PRIMO has been used to reconstruct a sharper image of the M87 black hole using Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) data. The new image reveals more detailed information about the bright accreting gas and a larger, darker central region.
Astronomers use the Hubble Space Telescope and Keck Observatory to measure the 3D shape of galaxy M87, revealing a 'potato-shaped' triaxial form. The team also determines the mass of the supermassive black hole at the galaxy's core, estimating it at 5.4 billion solar masses.
Scientists have created the first 2D map of wind patterns around a neutron star, revealing clues to galaxy formation. The map shows the wind's vertical structure and velocity, which is about 1 million miles per hour, and offers new insights into the influence of disk winds on galaxy evolution.
Astronomers have discovered a massive, runaway black hole that has left behind a never-before-seen trail of newborn stars. The black hole, weighing as much as 20 million Suns, is plowing into gas to trigger new star formation along a narrow corridor.
Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope discovered a pair of gravitationally bound quasars inside two merging galaxies when the universe was just 3 billion years old. The finding provides insights into early galaxy mergers and supermassive black holes.
Astronomers have discovered a closely bound pair of actively feeding supermassive black holes in the same galactic real estate, 10,000 light-years apart. This finding provides crucial information about the nature of cosmic systems on the verge of becoming giant elliptical galaxies.
The Swift Observatory team, led by Maia Williams, detected the brightest gamma-ray burst ever recorded, GRB 221009A. The burst was incredibly bright and had an afterglow that was more than 10 times brighter than any previous observation.
Astronomers have shed new light on the origin of gamma-ray bursts using the brightest ever recorded event, GRB 221009A. The study reveals a complex jet producing both visible and X-ray light, as well as unexpected excess millimeter and radio emission.
Astronomers analyzed data from numerous spacecraft and observatories to characterize the brightness of a gamma-ray burst detected on October 9, 2022. The burst, known as BOAT, was found to be 70 times brighter than any previously seen, occurring once in every 10,000 years.
A team of astronomers has discovered an ultramassive black hole in the foreground galaxy, with a mass estimated to be over 30 billion times that of our Sun. This massive object was detected using gravitational lensing and supercomputer simulations.
Researchers propose using a constellation of space interferometers to map the flat and almost perfectly homogeneous background signal, detecting subtle fluctuations known as anisotropies. These fluctuations hold information on the distribution of gravitational wave sources on the largest cosmological scale.
Researchers have discovered a possible correlation between gravitational waves from neutron star mergers and fast radio bursts, two phenomena long shrouded in mystery. The study found that an observed FRB occurred just 2 ½ hours after a neutron star merger event, suggesting a potential link between the two events.
Physicists discover correspondence between dense states of gluons and enormous black holes, both characterized by self-interacting force carrier particles. The study reveals universal limits on entropy and information content in these systems.
Astronomers have discovered a galaxy with a unique activity in its core, leading to a reclassification as a giant radio galaxy. The PBC J2333.9-2343 galaxy has a blazar at its center with jets that changed direction drastically by up to 90 degrees.
A new study reveals that intergalactic gas can activate and feed supermassive black holes at the heart of galaxies. The researchers found a direct connection between gas outside galaxies and active supermassive black holes, with misaligned gas playing a significant role in their growth.
The discovery of Swift J1858.6-0814's neutron star confirms the presence of exotic accretionary instabilities, similar to those observed in black holes. The study reveals that these instabilities are a fundamental physical process independent of the compact object's nature.
A rare quasar triplet formed a massive black hole with a mass of 10 billion solar masses, according to recent simulations. The triple system, composed of three galaxies with supermassive black holes at their centers, is believed to be the progenitor of ultra-massive black holes.
Astronomers propose that X7 is a cloud of dust and gas ejected during the collision of two stars. The object's shape and velocity have changed dramatically as it approaches the black hole, showing significant changes over a relatively short time scale.
Astronomers have discovered a rapidly growing supermassive black hole in the very early Universe, which provides new clues on its formation. The galaxy, named COS-87259, contains over a billion solar masses worth of interstellar dust and is forming stars at a rate 1000 times that of our Milky Way.
Researchers have developed a new model of black hole collisions that reveals nonlinear effects in gravitational waves, allowing for more accurate modeling of the behavior. This breakthrough has significant implications for understanding black hole collisions observed by LIGO and testing Einstein's general theory of relativity.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have conducted simulations of two black holes colliding near the speed of light, producing a remnant black hole and gravitational waves. The study reveals nonlinear effects that cannot be studied with linearized equations, suggesting current models need to be revised.
A new model developed by researchers at Columbia University and the University of Mississippi improves the accuracy of gravitational wave analysis by including nonlinear interactions. This enhanced modeling method will help scientists better understand the structure of merging black holes and test Einstein's theory of general relativity.
Researchers have identified a unique gas cloud, nicknamed the Tadpole, revolving around a massive black hole 100,000 times more massive than the Sun. The team used advanced telescopes to detect the unusual cloud's curved shape and motion, suggesting it is being stretched by gravitational forces.
Researchers found that kilonovae, caused by neutron star collisions, produce spherical explosions with symmetrical shapes. The discovery may provide a new key to fundamental physics and measuring the Universe's age.
A team of researchers has discovered evidence of 'cosmological coupling' between black holes and the universe's expanding energy. By studying supermassive black holes in ancient galaxies, they found that these black holes gain mass over billions of years, matching predictions for black holes that cosmologically couple with vacuum energy.
A research team from the University of Southampton discovered that supermassive black holes are fueled by gas clouds from neighboring galaxies. The study found a link between misaligned gas and active supermassive black hole activity, suggesting that galaxy interactions provide a source of fuel for these phenomena.
A new study reveals that active galactic nuclei are even more powerful than previously believed, with their far ultraviolet light dimmed by a large factor due to dust. This discovery implies that these objects are putting out an order of magnitude more energy than thought in the ultraviolet range.
A team of physicists has proposed a model for a repeating partial tidal disruption event, revealing the capture of a star by a supermassive black hole and its repeated stripping of material. The study provides unprecedented insight into the existence of supermassive black holes and the orbital dynamics of stars in galaxy centers.
Astronomers using Hubble observed a star's final moments as it was gobbled up by a black hole, creating a donut-shaped torus. The event provides forensic clues to the black hole homicide, with details on the debris's behavior and the accretion rate.
Scientists using ALMA discovered a rare instance of two supermassive black holes growing simultaneously near the center of a newly coalescing galaxy. This finding suggests that binary black hole pairs may be more common than previously thought, with potential implications for future gravitational wave detections.
Astronomers have discovered two ghostly Goliath black holes just 750 light-years apart, closing in on a cataclysmic meeting. The estimated population of merging supermassive black holes may be surprisingly high, generating strong gravitational waves detectable by future telescopes.