supermassive black hole
Latest about supermassive black hole
NASA's Chandra X-ray telescope sees 'knots' blasting from nearby black hole jets
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
A fresh analysis of decades-old X-ray black hole jet data has revealed bright, lumpy features with mysterious speed changes.
'We have changed the view of our galaxy forever': Astronomers capture most detailed ever infrared map of the Milky Way
By Ben Turner published
Astronomers at the European Southern Observatory have released the largest infrared map of the Milky Way ever. The enormous dataset contains millions of new objects, and the researchers expect to scour it for discoveries for years to come.
Biggest black hole jets ever seen are as long as 140 Milky Ways
By Ben Turner published
The largest-ever black hole jets ever seen hint that these cosmic monsters may play an even more significant role in shaping galaxies than previously thought.
Monster black hole is starving its host galaxy to death, James Webb telescope reveals
By Ben Turner published
New observations with JWST have confirmed that supermassive black holes have the power to quench star formation across their surrounding galaxies.
The Milky Way's supermassive black hole is spinning incredibly fast and at the wrong angle. Scientists may finally know why.
By Ben Turner published
Observations from the Event Horizon Telescope may reveal a secret merger in our supermassive black hole's past, potentially explaining the cosmic monster's unusual spin.
Watch a star get destroyed by a supermassive black hole in the 1st simulation of its kind
By Daniel Price published
Stars that wander too close to supermassive black holes may be violently undone in a process called "spaghettification." New simulations provide the most detailed look ever at the gory interaction.
Milky Way's rarest black hole may lurk behind 7 stars that 'shouldn't be there'
By Harry Baker published
Seven strangely-behaving stars in the Milky Way's Omega Centauri cluster may be under the influence of an extremely rare type of black hole, new research suggests.
James Webb Space Telescope sees an ancient black hole dance with colliding galaxies
By Robert Lea published
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have witnessed the dramatic dance between a supermassive black hole-powered quasar and merging galaxies less than a billion years after the Big Bang.
James Webb telescope spies bejeweled 'Einstein ring' made of warped quasar light
By Harry Baker published
New photos from the James Webb Space Telescope show off the bewitching beauty of the warped quasar RX J1131-1231, which is adorned with four bright spots birthed by mind-bending space-time trickery.
Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now
Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.