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

Huge X-ray image covers half the universe, including a million sources

Astronomers have mapped out half the universe in X-ray light, using a space telescope called eROSITA. The new map, which contains almost a million X-ray sources, is the basis of dozens of new scientific papers, with many more to come.Continue ReadingCa… Continue reading Huge X-ray image covers half the universe, including a million sources

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”

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

Evidence of theorized type of black hole discovered near dawn of time

Astronomers have discovered evidence of a theorized type of black hole lurking in the distant universe. Known as an “Outsize Black Hole,” this object could help explain some fundamental cosmic mysteries, including how supermassive monsters form.Continu… Continue reading Evidence of theorized type of black hole discovered near dawn of time

Galactic-scale detector picks up background distortions in spacetime

The very fabric of spacetime is constantly warping, on unimaginably tiny scales, as ripples from past cataclysms wash over us. Astrophysicists have now detected a background sea of gravitational waves, using a galaxy-scale detector made up of dead star… Continue reading Galactic-scale detector picks up background distortions in spacetime

X-ray echoes reveal recent bright flash from Milky Way’s black hole

At the heart of our galaxy lurks a supermassive monster, which is currently slumbering – but it hasn’t always been so quiet. New observations reveal an X-ray “echo” from a time when the Milky Way’s central black hole awoke just 200 years ago, shining a… Continue reading X-ray echoes reveal recent bright flash from Milky Way’s black hole