Black hole news, features and articles

Black holes are regions in space where matter is squeezed, and gravity becomes so intense that not even light can escape its pull. At Live Science, our expert writers and editors report on the most massive black hole findings, from a supermassive black hole found spitting a giant, high-energy jet toward Earth to a gargantuan black hole becoming one of the brightest objects ever seen, and answer your most pressing questions about these weird phenomena — what happens at the center of a black hole and could a black hole devour the universe — with the latest black hole news, features and articles.
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Evidence for Stephen Hawking's unproven black hole theory may have just been found — at the bottom of the sea
By Paul Sutter published
The recent discovery of a stupendously powerful neutrino has left scientists scratching their heads. New research suggests it could be evidence that Stephen Hawking was right about the nature of black holes and the early universe.

Unproven Einstein theory of 'gravitational memory' may be real after all, new study hints
By Andrey Feldman published
Einstein's theory of general relativity suggests that the "memory" of ancient events, such as black hole mergers, may be etched into the fabric of space-time by gravitational waves. New research shows how this theory of gravitational memory could finally be proven.

'Cosmic Horseshoe' may contain black hole the size of 36 billion suns — one of the largest ever detected
By Ben Turner published
The "Cosmic Horseshoe" is an Einstein ring, a system made up of a foreground galaxy whose mass is so great, it warps the light from a galaxy behind it. Now, astronomers know where it gets this mass from.

Scientists may have just discovered 300 of the rarest black holes in the universe
By Ben Turner published
How black holes grow to monstrous scales is one of astronomy's prevailing enigmas. A new record-breaking dataset, which reveals 300 potential 'missing link black holes', could help to unravel it.

James Webb Space Telescope discovers mysterious flares near the Milky Way's monster black hole
By Ben Turner published
Sagittarius A*, our galaxy's supermassive black hole, is constantly producing strange eruptions. Astronomers are using the James Webb Space Telescope to find out why.

'We were amazed': Astronomers discover oldest, biggest black hole jet in the known universe — and there may be more
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Astronomers have used a continent-sized radio telescope to find the largest black hole jet ever observed in the early universe.

Astronomers catch black holes 'cooking' their own meals in bizarre, endless feeding cycle
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Black holes can actively regulate the material they consume, using powerful jets of gas blasted into space, according to a new study. It suggests many such cosmic beasts effectively "cook" their own meals.

Scientists discover black holes spinning unexpectedly fast: 'You’re essentially looking at its fossil record'
By Robert Lea published
A new form of black hole archeology, linking spin to gas and dust, has revealed that these cosmic titans spin faster than expected.

'Impossible' black holes detected by James Webb telescope may finally have an explanation — if this ultra-rare form of matter exists
By Andrey Feldman published
Observations from the James Webb Space Telescope reveal monster black holes in the early universe that seem to have grown too big, too fast. New research points to a strange form of dark matter as a possible culprit.
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