Articles tagged with Black Holes
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Astronomers detected light patterns indicating the brief existence of superheavy neutron stars shortly before they collapsed into black holes. These mega neutron stars formed from the collision of two neutron stars and had nearly twice the size of a typical neutron star, spinning at nearly 78,000 times a minute.
Large gamma-ray emitting bubbles are produced by fast blowing outward winds and the associated reverse shock. Numerical simulations successfully reproduced the temperature profile observed by an X-ray telescope, supporting this scenario.
The ERC Red Cardinal project aims to shed light on the mysterious phase of star formation extinction in massive galaxies. The team, led by Sirio Belli, will use James Webb Space Telescope observations to test a hypothesis predicting two distinct modes of stellar extinction.
Using supercomputers and machine learning, researchers created simulations of millions of computer-generated universes to test astrophysical predictions. The study found that supermassive black holes grow in the same way as their host galaxies, revealing a long-elusive relationship.
Researchers used 69 confirmed binaries to test two origin stories of black holes, but found that the current catalog is not enough to reveal anything fundamental about their formation. The study suggests that the universe's spin and tilt can be 'spun' in different ways depending on the model used.
The event challenged scientists' understanding of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), which are the most powerful events in the universe. The burst's high-energy light and kilonova visible and infrared light were detected by NASA's Swift Observatory and Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, providing new insights into how heavy elements are created.
A recent gamma-ray burst has been identified as a kilonova, shedding light on the merging of neutron stars and black holes. The event produced an excess of infrared light and lasted about a minute, contradicting the typical short duration of such explosions.
Astronomers have detected the most distant black hole swallowing a star, with the event occurring one-third of its current age. The discovery was made using ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) and provides new insights into these extreme events.
Astronomers have discovered a mysterious bright flash emanating from a relativistic jet of matter streaking out from a supermassive black hole. The signal, AT 2022cmc, is the brightest TDE ever detected and originates from a black hole that suddenly began devouring a nearby star, releasing an enormous amount of energy.
Researchers believe a black hole suddenly began devouring a nearby star, releasing energy and creating the brightest ever recorded TDE. The jet's direction may be pointing towards Earth, causing Doppler boosting, and could reveal insights into how supermassive black holes grow.
A team led by University of Maryland astronomer Igor Andreoni discovered a bright optical flare caused by a dying star's encounter with a supermassive black hole. The event, AT2022cmc, is extremely rare and was found using a novel data pipeline that analyzed the Zwicky Transient Facility survey.
Researchers suggest using ancient red giant stars' winds as a potential source of material for observing the supermassive black hole. This could provide the accretion rate needed to detect the black hole, which is currently undetectable due to its low activity.
Gravitational wave observatories LIGO and Virgo captured a signal in 2019 that differed from previous measurements. Researchers found an alternative explanation: the collision occurred on a strongly eccentric path, where one black hole was initially free to move before being captured by another's gravitational field.
Researchers detected a long-sought after innermost dusty ring around the type 1 active galactic nucleus (AGN) NGC 4151 with unprecedented clarity. The CHARA Array Interferometer achieved this milestone by resolving the dust sublimation region at a hundred microarcsecond scale.
According to new research led by the University of Bath, some short-duration gamma-ray bursts are triggered by the birth of supramassive stars, not black holes. This discovery may offer a new way to locate neutron star mergers and gravitational wave emitters.
Astronomers used the Young Supernova Experiment to detect an intermediate-mass black hole in a dwarf galaxy, revealing its mass and providing insight into supermassive black hole growth. The study aims to improve understanding of black hole-galaxy relationships and inform theories on supermassive black hole formation.
Astronomers have discovered the closest-known black hole to Earth, a dormant stellar-mass black hole located about 1600 light-years away in the constellation Ophiuchus. This discovery was made possible by precise observations of the motion of the black hole's companion star using the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph instrument.
Researchers use polarized X-ray measurements to refine models of black holes swallowing matter. The new data from Cygnus X-1 reveals a pencil-shaped plasma outflow and supports the hypothesis that processes near the black hole launch jets. This insight improves understanding of gravity's effects on space-time around black holes.
Researchers have developed a new model that combines nuclear physics and string theory to describe the transition to dense and hot quark matter in neutron star collisions. The model allows for the calculation of gravitational-wave signals, showing that both hot and cold quark matter can be produced.