Quantum tornado mimics black holes’ warped spacetime in the lab

It took a specially designed crygoenic chamber to contain the super-chilled helium and whip up the vortex

As anyone who’s ever seen a science fiction movie knows, whipping up a black hole in a laboratory doesn’t seem like such a good idea.

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Supermassive sexual tension measured between the heaviest cosmic couple

At some point we’ve all regretted taking too long to make a move on that special someone, but at least there’s comfort knowing we didn’t take a quarter of all time that’s ever passed. That’s how long the sexual tension has been building between two slo… Continue reading Supermassive sexual tension measured between the heaviest cosmic couple

Brightest object in the universe swallows a Sun every day

You’d assume that the brightest object in the known universe would be a pretty easy thing to discover, but astronomers have only just spotted it. This overlooked show-off is a supermassive black hole with the mass of 17 billion Suns, and counting – it … Continue reading Brightest object in the universe swallows a Sun every day

Our galaxy’s black hole spins so fast it warps spacetime into a football

A supermassive monster lurks at the center of our galaxy, and astronomers have now discovered that it’s spinning so fast it’s warping the very fabric of spacetime into a football shape.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, ScienceTags: Astronomy, Black hole… Continue reading Our galaxy’s black hole spins so fast it warps spacetime into a football

Our galaxy’s black hole spins so fast it warps spacetime into a football

A supermassive monster lurks at the center of our galaxy, and astronomers have now discovered that it’s spinning so fast it’s warping the very fabric of spacetime into a football shape.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, ScienceTags: Astronomy, Black hole… Continue reading Our galaxy’s black hole spins so fast it warps spacetime into a football

Most distant black hole discovered, but it’s “impossibly massive”

Astronomers have discovered the most distant – and therefore earliest – known black hole. Hiding in a galaxy called GN-z11, this black hole is bigger than should be possible given the age of the universe.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, ScienceTags: Bl… Continue reading Most distant black hole discovered, but it’s “impossibly massive”

Neutron star discovered orbiting mysterious object that shouldn’t exist

Astronomers have discovered a neutron star orbiting a mysterious object that, by all accounts, shouldn’t be able to exist. Seemingly invisible in light, and too small to be a black hole, the object defies explanation.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, Sc… Continue reading Neutron star discovered orbiting mysterious object that shouldn’t exist

Some stars could swallow black holes – here’s how we can find them

Black holes are famous for gobbling up anything that gets too close – but could they ever be swallowed whole? A new study suggests that it’s possible that stars could capture very small black holes and keep them in their cores. There might even be a wa… Continue reading Some stars could swallow black holes – here’s how we can find them

Some stars could swallow black holes – here’s how we can find them

Black holes are famous for gobbling up anything that gets too close – but could they ever be swallowed whole? A new study suggests that it’s possible that stars could capture very small black holes and keep them in their cores. There might even be a wa… Continue reading Some stars could swallow black holes – here’s how we can find them

Ancient extragalactic star discovered at the heart of the Milky Way

Looking at all the stars in the night sky, you’d never notice that one of them wasn’t from around here. Astronomers have now found that a star right near the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way likely originated in a smaller galaxy t… Continue reading Ancient extragalactic star discovered at the heart of the Milky Way