Black holes
Latest about Black Holes
![Numerical simulation of cosmic strings.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UhSdb4RwS4Eijb3DR5nYSE-320-80.jpg)
Cosmic strings can break — and when they do, they shake the universe
By Paul Sutter published
Many models of the universe predict the existence of countless invisible strings stretching across space. New research finds a way these strings might snap — and how we could feel the fallout.
![An artist's impression of the binary system, assuming that the mysterious object is a black hole.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qVUeWWKUiuQebHfwJCA7id-320-80.jpg)
Mysterious deep-space object could be the smallest black hole ever discovered — or the heaviest neutron star
By Ben Turner published
A newly discovered mystery object could be the heaviest neutron star ever seen, the smallest black hole, or something completely new to science.
![A screenshot of a simulation showing how a star is ripped apart by a black hole in a tidal disruption event.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9fuvB76vXs6Gc2TgyyDgtQ-320-80.jpg)
Gory simulation reconstructs the violent clash between a monster black hole and a doomed star
By Robert Lea published
A new cosmic crime scene reconstruction tells the full story of a star ripped apart by a ravenous black hole, revealing a previously unknown aspect of these tidal disruption events.
![An artist's illustration of a black hole's accretion disk.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Ry7egCCgKrm6XKurwV2wLK-320-80.jpg)
James Webb telescope discovers the oldest, most distant black hole in the universe
By Ben Turner published
The James Webb Space Telescope's discovery of the universe's oldest black holes is giving astronomers some vital clues for how they came to be.
![This computer-simulated image shows a supermassive black hole at the core of a galaxy.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MyhNRNvxTsHJenrpBcxMgX-320-80.jpg)
Tiny black holes from the dawn of time may be altering our planet's orbit, new study suggests
By Deepa Jain published
A study suggests primordial black holes may make planets and moons near us wobble. If measured experimentally, this will provide the first concrete proof such objects exist.
![An illustration of a primitive black hole forming.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LznKYWq8LwPHPxDXhP3w8K-320-80.jpg)
Turbulent 1st moments of a black hole's life captured in new simulations
By Paul Sutter published
Scientists modeled how black holes and neutron stars form after dying stars collapse, and explained why some get a hard 'kick' into interstellar space.
![Giant red stars may contain ancient, atom-size black holes in their cores, a new study theorizes.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DwqoXfMeSGMCx82ND6BVYB-320-80.jpg)
Atom-size black holes from the dawn of time could be devouring stars from the inside out, new research suggests
By Robert Lea published
New research suggests that if tiny primordial black holes created during the Big Bang exist, some of them may have been snared by stars and are now forced to eat their way out.
![An artist's concept of a tidal disruption event (TDE) that happens when a star passes fatally close to a supermassive black hole, which reacts by launching a relativistic jet.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SudiZwk6AXkqmFyzrmtjEV-320-80.jpg)
Humans could use black holes as batteries, physics paper claims. Here's how.
By Jacklin Kwan published
Black holes are some of the most powerful objects in the universe — and humans could devise ways to harness that power as an energy source, a new theoretical study claims.
![An image of Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the heart of the Milky Way, captured by the Event Horizon Telescope.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kBrB4QALG6Gn6A9HKt5oVN-320-80.jpg)
Strange 'blob' circling Milky Way's central black hole is shooting powerful radiation at Earth every 76 minutes
By Robert Lea published
Regular high-energy pulses of gamma-ray radiation emerging from around the Milky Way's central black hole may be coming from a blob of matter whipping around at 30% the speed of light.
![Gemini South has captured the billion-year-old aftermath of a double spiral galaxy collision.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eYVRojeR467cTgwjAgMjBF-320-80.jpg)
Space photo of the week: Battling black holes pull two galaxies apart
By Jamie Carter published
Space photo of the week The Gemini South telescope captured the chaotic aftermath of a billion-year-old collision between two spiral galaxies — and their super-close supermassive black holes.
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