One of the most sought-after objects in the universe has just been discovered in our Milky Way galaxy. At the center of a densely packed globular cluster called Omega Centauri, about 17,000 light-years away, astronomers have found evidence for the existence of an intermediate-mass black hole. The mass of this black hole is at least … Read more
Enlarge / From left to right, zooming in from the globular cluster to the location of the black hole. ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. Häberle Supermassive black holes appear to reside at the center of every galaxy, and have done so since galaxies formed early in the history of the universe. However, we currently cannot fully … Read more
The Omega Centauri star cluster contains millions of stars. The motion of some of the stars suggests that there is a medium-sized black hole at its center. NASA/ESA/STScI/AURA hide caption switch caption NASA/ESA/STScI/AURA Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have found evidence for the existence of an elusive type of black hole, about 8,000 times … Read more
Most known black holes are either extremely massive, such as the supermassive black holes found in the centers of large galaxies, or relatively light, with masses less than 100 times that of the Sun. Intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs), however, are rare and are considered rare “missing links” in black hole evolution. Now, an international team … Read more
Science and discovery 10/07/2024 1028 views 11 I like this An international team of astronomers has used more than 500 images from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope spanning two decades to detect seven fast-moving stars in the inner region of Omega Centauri, the largest and brightest globular cluster in the sky. These stars provide compelling … Read more
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have observed the dramatic “dance” between a supermassive black hole and two satellite galaxies. The observations could help scientists better understand how galaxies and supermassive black holes grew in the early universe. This particular supermassive black hole is feeding on surrounding matter, powering a bright quasar that … Read more
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have observed the dramatic “dance” between a supermassive black hole and two satellite galaxies. The observations could help scientists better understand how galaxies and supermassive black holes grew in the early universe. This particular supermassive black hole is feeding on surrounding matter, powering a bright quasar that … Read more
Supermassive black holes are giants millions to billions of times more massive than our Sun that reside at the centers of most galaxies in our universe, including our own. Milky Way — and they are best known for the brilliant disks of gas that swirl around them. These disks are the remains of ill-fated stars … Read more
Unlike “black holes,” which pull in and swallow surrounding cosmic matter, a “gravity hole” pushes surrounding material away due to the lack of gravity. When formed in an ocean, a gravity hole pushes water away and creates air pockets where water should have been, causing sea levels to drop. Take the example of the world’s … Read more
Enlarge / The Milky Way’s central black hole is in a very crowded environment. Supermassive black holes are voracious. Clumps of dust and gas are often disrupted by turbulence and radiation when they get pulled too close. So why are some of them orbiting the edge of the Milky Way’s own supermassive monster, Sgr A*? … Read more