SUNSET: 
A Double Black Hole?
Strange emission from a distant galaxy paints an enigmatic picture of what’s happening inside its core. One solution: instead of one supermassive black hole, the galaxy hosts two trapped in a tight dance around each other.
Downsizing a Black Hole
Astronomers have revealed a supposedly monster black hole to be rather ordinary in size.
Monster Burst Challenges Theories
Observations of one of the most powerful supernovas ever recorded suggest that the standard model for gamma-ray bursts might be missing a piece of the puzzle.
Black Hole Spews Atoms
Observations reveal ionized metals in the jet shot out by a black hole, long-sought information that will help astronomers understand how these objects create their powerful beams.
Astronomers Discover Black Hole's Dieting Strategy
The Milky Way's central supermassive black hole eats only a fraction of the gas available to it. New X-ray observations suggest how the beast manages to stay so trim when faced with a feast.
New Pulsar Explores Heart of Milky Way
A pulsar discovered last April is helping astronomers measure the magnetic field surrounding our galaxy’s central black hole.
Snack Starts Swinging Around Black Hole
Astronomers around the world are watching as the gaseous object called G2 heads for a close pass around the Milky Way's central supermassive black hole. Now it looks like the distended cloud is starting to swing back toward us.
Magnifying Quasars
Twinkle, twinkle, quasi-star: cosmic lenses could tell us what you are.
A Cosmic Sleight of Hand
Astronomers have been waiting for our galaxy’s slumbering supermassive black hole to stir for a snack. Instead, the universe handed them a different treat.
Brilliant GRB Blast with an Amateur Twist
An exceptionally powerful gamma-ray burst on April 27th wowed astronomers around the world — and its fading was tracked by an alert backyard observer.
When Supergiants Explode
Astronomers have announced a new class of gamma-ray bursts, possibly created when some of the biggest stars in the universe go supernova.
Black Hole Wakes for a Light Snack
Astronomers might have glimpsed a supermassive black hole snacking on a brown dwarf in a galaxy 47 million light-years away.
Can Stars Form in our Galaxy's Center?
Observations of Milky Way’s chaotic center show hints of stars forming just two light-years away from our galaxy’s supermassive black hole.
Fifty Years of Quasars...And Fifty More?
As we celebrate the golden anniversary of quasars' discovery, some astronomers are pausing to question the direction of the field.
Mystery Structure Around Black Hole
An X-ray flare revealed a bizarre black hole binary system, where a mysterious, moving structure blocks its visible light.
Black Hole Caught Spinning?
X-ray observations of a distant supermassive black hole might end a decades-long debate over the nature of these X-ray signals. But not everyone’s convinced that the observations are what they appear to be.
Baby Black Hole Discovered
Astronomers investigating a supernova remnant see nothing but swirls of gas. The lack of stellar remains means the explosion must have birthed a black hole only 1,000 years ago.
Spacetime Ripples on the Horizon?
Scientists might be closer to detecting one prediction of Einstein's theory of gravity than they thought they were.
A Big Black Hole in a Small Galactic Pond
A record-breaking black hole lurking at the center of a compact galaxy weighs about 17 billion Suns, a new study finds. Now astronomers are wondering: how did such a small galaxy come to harbor a leviathan?
Tilt a Black Hole and Watch What Happens
A simulation published in yesterday's Science shows how black holes govern their surroundings. Watch a black hole work its magic in this new video.
