SUNSET: 
Find a Quasar in the Sky Tonight and Time Travel to the Early Universe
Travel to the faraway and long ago by riding a quasar's beam.
New Simulation Sheds Light on Black Hole Growth
New supercomputer simulations reveal the journey gas takes to enter a galaxy and surround and enter its black hole. That journey holds a few surprises for astronomers.
Most Luminous Quasar Hosts What Might Be Fastest-Growing Black Hole
In a new study, astronomers have identified a quasar more luminous and voracious than any found to date.
JWST Turns Its Eye on Supermassive Black Holes and the Galaxies That Host Them
The intrepid infrared explorer is offering astronomers a jump back in time, enabling them to see quasars at earlier times than ever before.
Signal Found from Supermassive Duo's Second Black Hole
Astronomers have long suspected that a distant quasar harbors not one but two supermassive black holes. They've now detected OJ 287's second black hole.
Hubble Image Reveals Possible Quasar Forerunner
A distant object in a deep Hubble Space Telescope field could be in transition from ordinary galaxy to brilliant beacon of light.
How Black Holes Eat Reveals Their Mass
No one knows why quasars flicker — but astronomers are using these wavering beacons to "weigh" the black holes that power them.
Astronomers Use AI to Investigate Quasars and Galaxies Galore
New applications of machine learning have enabled astronomers to classify 27 million galaxies and pick out a dozen rare quadruply lensed quasars.
What the Most Distant Quasar Tells Us About Black Hole Birth
The existence of a quasar when the universe was only 670 million years old is helping astronomers understand how black holes are born.
Survey Finds Newborn Black Hole Jets in Distant Galaxies
Astronomers have spotted a surprising number of quasars with jets launched within a couple of decades.
What Quasars Can Teach Us About Dark Energy
Astronomers have found a way to turn quasars into standard candles, with potentially far-reaching implications for the nature of mysterious dark energy.
Astronomers Discover Most Distant Lensed Quasar
The most distant magnified quasar known promises to shed light on the universe's early years.
60-Second Astro News: A Carnivorous Quasar and a Galaxy Ghost
In astronomy news this week: The most luminous quasar known in the cosmos is devouring three galaxy companions, while a newly discovered ghostly satellite of the Milky Way hints at hordes more just waiting to be found.
Most Distant Black Hole Yet
Astronomers have discovered a supermassive black hole scarfing down gas just 690 million years after the Big Bang.
Quasar CTA 102: Historically Bright, Violently Variable
The normally faint quasar CTA 102, once thought to harbor an advanced civilization and made famous in a 1967 song by the Byrds, is currently bright enough to see in an 8-inch telescope. In the history of SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, there have been two great false alarms.…
The Case of the Disappearing Quasar
When a quasar, a black hole-fueled beacons that shines from across the cosmos, went dark, astronomers set out to find out why.
Revealing Hidden Black Holes
The NuSTAR telescope has spied high-energy X-rays from five supermassive black holes shrouded in a thick veil of dust and gas, a test run that will lead to a better census of these hidden beasts.
Black Hole Too Big for its Breeches
A supermassive black hole in the early universe is at least 10 times too heavy for its host galaxy, raising questions about galaxy and black hole coevolution.
Best Evidence Yet That Black Holes Exist
A team of astronomers has found indirect evidence of a supermassive black hole’s event horizon, providing further proof that these wacky objects actually exist in nature.
Hubble Investigates Ghosts of Quasars Past
A galaxy-size blob of gas discovered eight years ago by a Dutch schoolteacher has galvanized the study of the spectral remains of once-bright quasars.
