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conceptual image of a black hole

Astronomy & Observing News

Do Big Black Holes Wander the Galaxy?

New simulation work suggests that galaxies like the Milky Way could be home to a dozen supermassive black holes.

Hubble images most distant star

Astronomy & Observing News

60-Second Astro News: Imaging Black Hole Jets and Distant Stars

Astronomy news this week: Hubble images the most distant star, radio telescopes combine forces to probe black hole jet, and neutron star hotspots explained.

The torus at the center of M77 / NGC 1068

Astronomy & Observing News

Astronomers Watch Donut Rotate Around Supermassive Black Hole

Astronomers have detected a torus rotating around the supermassive black hole at the center of spiral galaxy Messier 77, collecting observations that may shed light on why these weird structures exist.

Reverberation mapping

Astronomy & Observing News

60-Second Astro News: Black Holes Galore

Supermassive black holes are difficult to observe and measure, yet they have profound effects on their host galaxies. Read up on the latest black hole discoveries presented at the Washington D.C. meeting of the American Astronomical Society.

Black hole accretion disk + jet

Astronomy & Observing News

Astronomers Decode a Black Hole Jet

Two telescopes — one on the ground and one in space — watched a black hole’s jet turn on, enabling astronomers to probe its origin.

A Restless Supermassive Black Hole

Astronomy & Observing News

Is There a Difference Between Starving and Feasting Black Holes?

A few decades ago, astronomers thought they had figured out how quasars operate. Now, a new study has thrown a wrench in the works.

Mrk 533 in Hickson 96 compact group of galaxies

Astronomy & Observing News

Supermassive Black Holes Discovered in Close Tango

Astronomers have found what could be the closest known pair of supermassive black holes detected via direct imaging, orbiting each other only a light-year apart.

Supermassive black hole binary (art)

Astronomy & Observing News

Supermassive Black Holes Observed in Close Dance

Astronomers monitoring a tight pair of supermassive black holes have observed their orbital motion.

Wind flowing out of a barred spiral galaxy

Astronomy & Observing News

Ring Found Around a Galaxy’s “Hidden” Black Hole

A team of astronomers has taken a close look at a nearby galaxy — and discovered an unusual structure that sheds light on supermassive black holes’ relationships with their host galaxies.

Merged supermassive black hole, 3C 186

Astronomy & Observing News

Gravitational Waves Dethrone Supermassive Black Hole

Astronomers have discovered a supermassive black hole not sitting in its customary seat at the center of its galaxy. Gravitational waves from a recent merger may have ejected the black hole.

Black hole winds

Astronomy & Observing News

Swift Black Hole Winds May Shape Galaxy

Winds that charge away from supermassive black holes at a fraction of the speed of light have long been mysterious and even contentious. Now, new evidence sheds light on their origins.

Decade-long tidal disruption event

Astronomy & Observing News

Black Hole Feeds on Star for a Decade

Unlucky stars serve as brilliant but short-lived snacks when they wander too close to supermassive black holes. But one such black hole is still gnawing on its stellar meal after a decade.

Astronomy & Observing News

Milky Way’s Black Hole Is Throwing Cosmic Spitballs

Every now and then, the Milky Way’s central, supermassive black hole tears apart a star and flings away some of its innards. Now astronomers think they know how to spot these cosmic spitballs.

Tangled dust filaments around NGC 4696

Astronomy & Observing News

Hubble Images Tangled Web in Nearby Galaxy

A Hubble image of a nearby, massive elliptical galaxy reveals tenuous filaments that appear to be connected to the growth of the galaxy's supermassive black hole.

Black hole flees massive galaxy

Astronomy & Observing News

Runaway Black Hole Flees Behemoth Galaxy

Astronomers have spotted a supermassive black hole in a stripped-down galaxy racing away from a near-fatal close encounter in the center of a galaxy cluster.

artist's impression of a black hole

Astronomy & Observing News

Astronomers Gauge Spin in Black Hole Duo

Astronomers have measured the spin of one of the universe's most massive black holes — and provided evidence that the behemoth has a companion.

SDSS J1011+5442, the missing quasar

Astronomy & Observing News

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.

Astronomy & Observing News

Setting Limits to Black Hole Gluttony

Black holes may have a limit to how much they can eat in the public eye.

Comin' at ya' Baby

Astronomy & Observing News

Mystery Signal from a Black Hole-Powered Jet

Astronomers have spotted what appears to be a regular signal coming from the blazar PG 1553+113.

Supermassive black hole binary

Astronomy & Observing News

Does the Nearest Quasar Host a Black Hole Binary?

Astronomers are investigating a new technique for finding close pairs of supermassive black holes, and they might have found one in the nearest quasar.