For decades, the movement of stars near the center of our Milky Way galaxy has provided some of the most convincing evidence for the existence of a supermassive black hole. However, Dr. Valentina Crespi from the La Plata Institute of Astrophysics and her colleagues propose an innovative alternative: a compact object composed of self-gravitating fermion dark matter, which could equally explain the observed stellar motions.
A compact object made of self-gravitating fermion dark matter. Image credit: Gemini AI.
The prevailing theory attributes the observational orbits of a group of stars, known as the S stars, to Sagittarius A*, the supposed supermassive black hole at our galaxy’s center, which causes these stars to move at speeds of thousands of kilometers per second.
In a groundbreaking study, Dr. Crespi and her team propose that fermions—a specific type of dark matter made from light elementary particles—can form a distinct cosmic structure that aligns with our current understanding of the Milky Way’s core.
The hypothesis suggests the formation of an ultra-dense core surrounded by a vast, diffuse halo, functioning as a unified structure.
This dense core could replicate the gravitational effects of a black hole, thereby accounting for the orbits of S stars and nearby dusty objects known as G sources.
A vital aspect of this research includes recent data from ESA’s Gaia DR3 mission, which meticulously maps the Milky Way’s outer halo and reveals the orbital patterns of stars and gas far from the center.
The mission has documented a slowdown in the galaxy’s rotation curve, known as Keplerian decay, which can be reconciled with the outer halo of the dark matter model when combined with the standard disk and bulge components of normal matter.
This finding emphasizes significant structural differences, bolstering the validity of the fermion model.
While traditional cold dark matter halos spread in a “power law” fashion, the fermion model predicts a more compact halo structure with a tighter tail.
“This research marks the first instance where a dark matter model effectively connects vastly different scales and explains the orbits of various cosmic bodies, including contemporary rotation curves and central star data,” remarked Carlos Arguelles of the La Plata Astrophysics Institute.
“We are not merely substituting black holes for dark objects. Instead, we propose that supermassive centers and galactic dark matter halos represent two manifestations of a single continuum of matter.”
Importantly, the team’s fermion dark matter model has already undergone rigorous testing.
A recent 2024 survey demonstrated that as the accretion disk illuminates these dense dark matter cores, it produces shadow-like features reminiscent of those captured by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration at Sagittarius A*.
“This point is crucial. Our model not only elucidates stellar orbits and galactic rotation but also aligns with the famous ‘black hole shadow’ image,” stated Crespi.
“A dense dark matter core bends light to such an extent that it forms a central darkness encircled by a bright ring, creating an effect similar to shadows.”
Astronomers performed a statistical comparison of the fermion dark matter model against traditional black hole models.
While current data on internal stars cannot definitively distinguish between the two theories, the dark matter model offers a cohesive framework to elucidate both the galaxy’s center (encompassing the central star and shadow) and the galaxy at large.
“Gathering more precise data from instruments like the GRAVITY interferometer aboard ESO’s Very Large Telescope in Chile, and searching for specific features of the photon ring, an essential characteristic of black holes that are absent in the dark matter nuclear scenario, will be crucial for testing the predictions of this innovative model,” the authors noted.
“The results of these discoveries have the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the fundamental nature of the Milky Way’s enigmatic core.”
The team’s research was published today in Royal Astronomical Society Monthly Notices.
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V. Crespi et al. 2026. Dynamics of S stars and G sources orbiting supermassive compact objects made of fermion dark matter. MNRAS 546 (1): staf1854; doi: 10.1093/mnras/staf1854
Physicists from the University of Massachusetts Amherst have proposed that the ultrahigh-energy neutrinos detected by the KM3NeT experiment may indicate an exploding “sub-extreme primordial black hole,” hinting at new physics beyond the Standard Model.
The KM3NeT experiment observed neutrinos with energies around 100 PeV, and IceCube detected five neutrinos exceeding 1 PeV. The explosion of a primordial black hole may account for these high-energy neutrinos. Image credit: Gemini AI.
Black holes are a well-understood phenomenon, originating when a massive star exhausts its fuel and undergoes a supernova explosion, resulting in a gravitational force strong enough to trap light. These traditional black holes are massive and relatively stable.
However, as noted by physicist Stephen Hawking in 1970, primordial black holes potentially formed not from stars, but from the universe’s primordial conditions following the Big Bang.
Theoretical in nature, primordial black holes are dense enough that light cannot escape. Surprisingly, they are expected to be significantly lighter than the black holes observed to date.
Hawking also demonstrated that when these primordial black holes heat up, they emit particles through a phenomenon known as Hawking radiation.
“The lighter the black hole, the hotter it becomes, leading to increased particle emission,” explained Dr. Andrea Tam, a physicist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
“As a primordial black hole evaporates, it becomes lighter and hotter, releasing even more radiation during the explosive process.”
“What our telescope detects is, in fact, Hawking radiation.”
“If we were to witness such an explosion, we would create a comprehensive catalog of all elementary particles in existence, confirming both known particles, like electrons and quarks, and those not yet observed, including hypothesized dark matter particles.”
In 2023, the KM3NeT experiment successfully detected this elusive neutrino—a result Dr. Tam and his team had anticipated.
However, a challenge arose from the IceCube experiment, which failed to record similar phenomena or approach even a fraction of KM3NeT’s findings.
If primordial black holes are prevalent and detonating often, why are we not inundated with high-energy neutrinos? What could explain this inconsistency?
Dr. Joaquín Iguazu Juan, a physicist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, suggested, “We believe a primordial black hole with a ‘dark charge’, termed a quasi-extreme primordial black hole, could bridge this gap.”
“Dark charge mimics standard electric force but features a heavy hypothesized electron, the dark electron.”
Dr. Michael Baker, also from UMass Amherst, remarked, “Our dark charge model is complex but may provide a more accurate depiction of reality.”
“It’s remarkable that our model explains this previously unexplainable phenomenon.”
Dr. Tam added, “Dark-charged primordial black holes possess unique properties that differentiate them from simpler primordial black hole models, allowing us to resolve all conflicting experimental data.”
The research team is optimistic that their dark charge model not only elucidates neutrino observations but also addresses the enigma of dark matter.
“Observations of galaxies and the cosmic microwave background imply the existence of some form of dark matter,” explained Baker.
“If our dark charge hypothesis holds, it could suggest a considerable number of primordial black holes, aligning with other astrophysical observations and accounting for the universe’s missing dark matter,” Dr. Iguazu-Juan stated.
“The detection of high-energy neutrinos represents a significant breakthrough,” remarked Baker.
“It opens a new window into the universe, enabling us to empirically verify Hawking radiation, gather evidence of primordial black holes, and explore particles beyond the Standard Model, while inching closer to solving the dark matter mystery.”
For more details, see the findings published in Physical Review Letters.
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Michael J. Baker and colleagues. We explain the PeV neutrino flux in KM3NeT and IceCube with quasi-extreme primordial black holes. Physics. Pastor Rhett, published online December 18, 2025. doi: 10.1103/r793-p7ct
Revolutionary simulations from Maynooth University astronomers reveal that, at the onset of the dense and turbulent universe, “light seed” black holes could swiftly consume matter, rivaling the supermassive black holes found at the centers of early galaxies.
Computer visualization of a baby black hole growing in an early universe galaxy. Image credit: Maynooth University.
Dr. Daksar Mehta, a candidate at Maynooth University, stated: “Our findings indicate that the chaotic environment of the early universe spawned smaller black holes that underwent a feeding frenzy, consuming surrounding matter and eventually evolving into the supermassive black holes observed today.”
“Through advanced computer simulations, we illustrate that the first-generation black holes, created mere hundreds of millions of years after the Big Bang, expanded at astonishing rates, reaching sizes up to tens of thousands of times that of the Sun.”
Dr. Louis Prowl, a postdoctoral researcher at Maynooth University, added: “This groundbreaking revelation addresses one of astronomy’s most perplexing mysteries.”
“It explains how black holes formed in the early universe could quickly attain supermassive sizes, as confirmed by observations from NASA/ESA/CSA’s James Webb Space Telescope.”
The dense, gas-rich environments of early galaxies facilitated brief episodes of “super-Eddington accretion,” a phenomenon where black holes consume matter at a rate faster than the norm.
Despite this rapid consumption, the black holes continue to devour material effectively.
The results uncover a pivotal “missing link” between the first stars and the immense black holes that emerged later on.
Mehta elaborated: “These smaller black holes were previously considered too insignificant to develop into the gigantic black holes at the centers of early galaxies.”
“What we have demonstrated is that, although these nascent black holes are small, they can grow surprisingly quickly under the right atmospheric conditions.”
There are two classifications of black holes: “heavy seed” and “light seed.”
Light seed black holes start with a mass of only a few hundred solar masses and must grow significantly to transform into supermassive entities, millions of times the mass of the Sun.
Conversely, heavy seed black holes begin life with masses reaching up to 100,000 times that of the Sun.
Previously, many astronomers believed that only heavy seed types could account for the existence of supermassive black holes seen at the hearts of large galaxies.
Dr. John Regan, an astronomer at Maynooth University, remarked: “The situation is now more uncertain.”
“Heavy seeds may be rare and depend on unique conditions for formation.”
“Our simulations indicate that ‘garden-type’ stellar-mass black holes have the potential to grow at extreme rates during the early universe.”
This research not only reshapes our understanding of black hole origins but also underscores the significance of high-resolution simulations in uncovering the universe’s fundamental secrets.
“The early universe was far more chaotic and turbulent than previously anticipated, and the population of supermassive black holes is also more extensive than we thought,” Dr. Regan commented.
The findings hold relevance for the ESA/NASA Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, set to launch in 2035.
Dr. Regan added, “Future gravitational wave observations from this mission may detect mergers of these small, rapidly growing baby black holes.”
For further insights, refer to this paper, published in this week’s edition of Nature Astronomy.
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D.H. Meter et al. Growth of light seed black holes in the early universe. Nat Astron published online on January 21, 2026. doi: 10.1038/s41550-025-02767-5
As an avid admirer of Peter F. Hamilton, I eagerly anticipated his latest release, Empty Hole, particularly because I’ve always been fascinated by the Ark story.
Centuries have elapsed since the ship’s voyage, and its crew has devolved into a medieval-like society, residing beneath the remnants of their ancestors’ advanced technology. We uncover the challenges they encountered, including issues with the planet they were meant to land on, and a rebellious uprising on board that stranded them in perilous circumstances. At the age of 65, inhabitants must be recycled for the ship. This unique premise captivates me completely.
All of this is framed from Hazel’s first-person viewpoint, a 16-year-old girl. A significant breach exists in the ship’s hull (hence the title), she battles intense headaches, and soon finds herself ensnared in a whirlwind of dramatic events. Yet she finds time to fret about boys and garments, which I couldn’t afford. Why would a girl focus on fashion when the survival of everyone in a spaceship is at stake, and she is constantly plagued by headaches?
As fans may know, Hamilton is a master storyteller renowned for his contributions to big science fiction. My personal favorites include Empty Space and the Dawn trilogy, as well as his intricate and thrilling Commonwealth Saga duology. His narratives are dynamic, wildly innovative, and filled with complexities that often leave me thrilled, even if I don’t fully grasp every detail.
I had reservations about Hamilton’s more recent works, like Exodus: Archimedes Engine, which ties into the upcoming video game, Exodus. I felt certain plotlines were included solely to promote the game, detracting from the reader’s enjoyment. However, I appreciate that these works may not target my demographic. It’s evident the seasoned author is seeking new challenges. (For those who enjoy video game adaptations, the second installment in the game series will be released later this year and the game is set to debut in 2027.)
“
If I were a movie or TV scout, I could envision Empty Hole adapting beautifully for the screen. “
All this reminds me of Empty Hole. Midway through, I realized it seemed somewhat juvenile, for want of a better term. Research revealed that this novel was initially released as an audio-only book in 2021, primarily categorized as “young adult” or targeted towards teenagers.
In a 2020 interview, Hamilton expressed, “Though young adults as protagonists define a particular publishing category, I hope this work will resonate with audiences of all ages.” Personally, I don’t believe that a youthful protagonist excludes the potential for an adult-oriented book. (I mention this as a writer of novels featuring teenage lead characters.) So, can readers of all ages enjoy this book?
The plot setup and twists are stellar, as expected from Hamilton. However, I wish he had toned down the “teenage” aspects. I don’t require an interlude where she holds her boyfriend’s hand while my hero is fleeing danger. I believe that making the protagonist face the reality of being recycled at 65 would have added significant weight.
Perhaps Hamilton will capture a fresh audience with this release. For instance, as a movie or TV scout, I could envision how Empty Hole would look great on screen. This title is the first in a trilogy, with sequels slated for release in June and December. As I highlighted in my preview of new science fiction releases for 2026, this rapid schedule is unusual, and I’m excited to see how it unfolds.
If you’re yet to experience Hamilton’s classic works, there are various entry points into the remarkable worlds he has created. I recommend Pandora’s Star and its sequel, Judas Unchained, as excellent beginnings. If “epic space opera” resonates with you, these novels are likely a perfect match.
Emily H. Wilson is a former editor of New Scientist and author of Sumerian, a trilogy set in ancient Mesopotamia. The final book in the series, Ninchevar, is currently available. You can find her at emilywilson.com, or follow her on X @emilyhwilson and Instagram @emilyhwilson1.
Astrophysicists from the University of Copenhagen have discovered that the enigmatic “little red dots” visible in images of the early universe are rapidly growing black holes shrouded in ionized gas. This groundbreaking finding offers significant insights into the formation of supermassive black holes after the Big Bang.
The small red dot is a young supermassive black hole encased in a dense ionized cocoon. Image credits: NASA / ESA / CSA / Webb / Rusakov et al., doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09900-4.
Since the launch of the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope in 2021, astronomers globally have been studying the red spots that appear in regions of the sky corresponding to the universe just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang.
Initial interpretations ranged from unusually massive early galaxies to unique astrophysical phenomena that challenged existing formation models.
However, after two years of extensive analysis, Professor Darach Watson and his team from the University of Copenhagen have confirmed that these points represent young black holes surrounded by a thick cocoon of ionized gas.
As these black holes consume surrounding matter, the resulting heat emits powerful radiation that penetrates the gas, creating a striking red glow captured by Webb’s advanced infrared camera.
“The little red dot is a young black hole, approximately 100 times less massive than previously estimated, encased in a gas cocoon and actively consuming gas to expand,” stated Professor Watson.
“This process generates substantial heat, illuminating the cocoon.”
“The radiation that filters through the cocoon provides these tiny red dots with their distinctive color.”
“These black holes are significantly smaller than previously thought, so there’s no need to introduce entirely new phenomena to explain them.”
Despite being the smallest black holes ever detected, these objects still weigh up to 10 million times more than the Sun and measure millions of kilometers in diameter, shedding light on how black holes accelerated their growth during the early universe.
Black holes typically operate inefficiently, as only a small fraction of the gas they attract crosses the event horizon. Much is blown back into space as high-energy outflows.
However, during this early phase, the surrounding gas cocoon serves as both a fuel source and a spotlight, enabling astronomers to observe a black hole in intense growth like never before.
This discovery is crucial for understanding how supermassive black holes, such as the one at the center of the Milky Way, grew so quickly in the universe’s first billion years.
“We observed a young black hole in a growth spurt at a stage never documented before,” Professor Watson remarked.
“The gas-dense cocoon around them supplies the rapid growth fuel they require.”
For more details, see the findings featured in this week’s edition of Nature.
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V. Rusakov et al. 2026. A small red dot like a young supermassive black hole inside a dense ionized cocoon. Nature 649, 574-579; doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09900-4
Exploring ‘Small Red Dots’ Unveiled by the James Webb Space Telescope
Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, and D. Kocevski (Colby U.)/Space Telescope Science Institute Public Extension Office
The remarkable bright galaxies uncovered by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) may not be as brilliant as initially thought. These celestial bodies once posed a challenge to our cosmic understanding, implying they were home to supermassive black holes and an unexpected abundance of stars. However, new insights suggest these galaxies may harbor “baby” black holes.
During its initial years surveying the early Universe, JWST serendipitously discovered numerous bright and red galaxies, referred to as “little red dots” (LRDs).
The light emitted by these galaxies indicates the presence of far more mass than previously recognized in any other galaxy. They exhibit star densities that challenge existing models or host black holes larger than expected considering the size of their parent galaxies.
Both scenarios would necessitate a substantial overhaul of our galaxy formation and black hole growth theories in the early Universe.
Initial assumptions posited that the red hue of LRDs was due to copious dust surrounding the black holes or stars. This notion has come under scrutiny, as researchers find little evidence of dust in these extraordinary galaxies.
Jenny Green, a researcher at Princeton University, posits that this discovery warrants a reevaluation of LRD characteristics. “We were confident that if red coloration was due to dust, we’d detect dust emissions. However, we found none,” Green stated. “This suggests our initial assumption about their dust content was flawed.”
Previous analyses gauged the total brightness of the LRDs by assessing specific wavelengths of light linked to hydrogen, calibrated against a model of how dust impacts this light.
In their recent study, Green and her team measured the total light output from two LRD galaxies across various light frequencies, including X-rays and infrared. They discovered that, except for visible light, these galaxies emitted significantly less light than the typical galaxy—implying that LRDs are at least ten times dimmer than earlier estimates. This revelation holds critical implications for the nature of black holes within LRDs.
“If the emitted light is substantially less than we’ve believed, the mass of the black holes is likely much more modest,” Green remarked. “This reduces the tensions that have perplexed us since the black holes no longer need to be exceedingly massive or possess substantial mass initially.”
The new emission patterns imply the black holes may harbor less mass compared to standard black holes. Rohan Naidu from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology describes them as “baby black holes.” He further noted these findings align with the emerging perspective that LRD black holes could be categorized as black hole stars—a unique type of black hole encased in gas.
“In a typical black hole, what we observe is merely a fraction of the total energy emitted by the system. However, we should reconsider the little red dots as bulging black hole stars,” Naidu explained. “Most of their energy appears to be emitted at wavelengths we can detect, suggesting that what we see accurately reflects their output.”
Conversely, Roberto Maiorino from the University of Cambridge emphasizes that one cannot definitively ascertain the black hole’s mass within an LRD, as the emitted light reveals its growth rate rather than its total mass.
Green asserts that the notion of baby black holes holds merit. “If the photon count is significantly lower,” she noted, “this indicates a downward shift in the entire mass scale. On average, they possess lesser masses than previously assumed when we incorrectly categorized them as regular accreting black holes enshrouded in dust.”
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Astronomers have utilized data gathered from a network of space and terrestrial telescopes to identify AT 2024wpp, the most radiant blue light transient (LFBOT) ever recorded. These uncommon, ephemeral, and exceedingly luminous outbursts have perplexed scientists for a decade, but the extraordinary brightness and comprehensive multiwavelength data from AT 2024wpp indicate that they cannot be attributed to typical stellar explosions such as supernovae. Instead, recent observations reveal that AT 2024wpp was generated by an extreme tidal disruption event, where a black hole, with a mass approximately 100 times that of the Sun, dismantles a massive companion star over the course of just a few days, converting a significant portion of the star’s mass into energy.
This composite image contains X-ray and optical data for the LFBOT event at 2024wpp. Image credits: NASA / CXC / University of California, Berkeley / Nayana others. / Legacy Survey / DECaLS / BASS / MzLS / SAO / P. Edmonds / N. Walk.
LFBOTs derive their name from their intense brightness, being visible from hundreds of millions to billions of light years away, and their ephemeral nature, lasting merely a few days.
They emit high-energy light across the blue spectrum into ultraviolet and X-rays.
The inaugural observation was made in 2014, but the first LFBOT with sufficient data for analysis was recorded in 2018, termed AT 2018cow, in accordance with standard naming conventions.
Researchers nicknamed it “cow”, alongside other LFBOTs dubbed “tongue-twisted koala” (ZTF18abvkwla), “Tasmanian devil” (AT 2022tsd), and “finch” (AT 2023fhn). AT 2024wpp is likely to be known as Wasp.
Researchers determined that AT 2024wpp was not a supernova after assessing the energy output of the phenomenon.
The energy was found to be 100 times greater than that produced by typical supernovae.
The emitted energy must convert roughly 10% of the Sun’s rest mass into energy over a brief period of weeks.
Specifically, observations from Gemini South disclosed excess near-infrared radiation emitted by a luminous source.
This marks the second instance astronomers have witnessed such an occurrence, with the first being AT 2018cow, which seemingly doesn’t occur in regular stellar explosions.
These observations establish near-infrared excess as a defining characteristic of FBOT, yet no model can adequately explain it.
“The energy released by these bursts is so immense that it cannot be accounted for by a nuclear collapse or any typical stellar explosion,” stated Nathalie LeBaron, a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley.
“The main takeaway from AT 2024wpp is that the model we initially proposed is incorrect. This is definitely not an ordinary exploding star.”
Scientists suggest that the intense high-energy light emitted during this extreme tidal disruption stems from the black hole binary system’s prolonged parasitic behavior.
As they piece together this history, it appears the black hole has been gradually siphoning material from its companion star, enveloping itself in a ring of material too distant to be consumed.
Subsequently, when the companion star ventured too near and was shredded, the new material became ensnared in a rotating accretion disk, colliding with pre-existing material and releasing X-rays, ultraviolet light, and blue radiation.
Much of the gas from the companion star ended up spiraling toward the black hole’s poles, where it was expelled as material jets.
Authors calculated that the jet was traveling at about 40% the speed of light and emitted radio waves upon interacting with surrounding gas.
Similar to most LFBOTs, AT 2024wpp is situated in a galaxy characterized by active star formation, making the presence of large stars likely.
Located 1.1 billion light years away, AT 2024wpp is 5 to 10 times more brilliant than AT 2018cow.
The companion star that was torn apart was estimated to be over 10 times the mass of the Sun.
“It may have been what is referred to as a Wolf-Rayet star, a very hot evolved star that has depleted much of its hydrogen,” remarked the astronomers.
“This would account for the weak hydrogen emission observed from AT 2024wpp.”
Natalie LeBaron others. 2025. Brightest known fast blue light transient AT 2024wpp: unprecedented evolution and properties from ultraviolet to near-infrared. APJL in press. arXiv: 2509.00951
AJ Nayana others. 2025. Brightest known fast blue light transient AT 2024wpp: unprecedented evolution and properties in X-rays and radio. APJL in press. arXiv: 2509.00952
Utilizing ESA’s XMM-Newton along with the X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM)—a collaborative endeavor led by JAXA, ESA, and NASA—astronomers detected an ultrafast outflow from the supermassive black hole in NGC 3783, moving at 19% the speed of light (57,000 km/s).
An artist’s conception of NGC 3783’s wind-blown supermassive black hole. Image credit: ESA/ATG Europe.
NGC 3783 is a luminous barred spiral galaxy located about 135 million light-years away in the Centaurus constellation.
This galaxy was initially discovered by British astronomer John Herschel on April 21, 1835.
Also referred to as ESO 378-14, LEDA 36101, or 2XMM J113901.7-374418, it is a prominent member of the NGC 3783 group, which contains 47 galaxies.
NGC 3783 hosts a rapidly rotating supermassive black hole with a mass of 2.8 million solar masses.
“We have never witnessed a black hole producing winds at such speeds before,” stated Dr. Li Gu, an astronomer at the Netherlands Space Research Organization (SRON).
“Swift bursts of X-ray light from a black hole immediately provoke superfast winds, and for the first time, we observe how these winds develop within just a day.”
During 10 days of observations, mainly using the XRISM space telescope, astronomers monitored the emergence and acceleration of a burst from NGC 3783’s supermassive black hole.
While such explosions are typically attributed to intense radiation, in this instance, the likely cause is a sudden shift in the magnetic field, akin to solar flares caused by the Sun’s outbursts.
It is known that supermassive black holes emit X-rays, but this marks the first occasion where astronomers have distinctly observed rapid ejections during these X-ray bursts.
This finding emerged from the longest continuous observation conducted by XRISM to date.
Over these 10 days, scientists noted fluctuations in the brightness of the X-rays, particularly within the soft X-ray band.
Such fluctuations, including explosions lasting three days, are not uncommon for supermassive black holes.
What sets this explosion apart is the simultaneous expulsion of gas from the black hole’s accretion disk—a swirling disc of matter in orbit around the black hole.
This gas was expelled at astonishing speeds, hitting 57,000 km/s, or 19% of the speed of light.
Researchers identified the origin of this gas as a region approximately 50 times larger than the black hole itself.
Within this chaotic region, gravitational and magnetic forces are in extreme interaction.
The emission is believed to be the result of a phenomenon known as magnetic reconnection, which occurs when the magnetic field rapidly reorganizes and releases vast amounts of energy.
“This is an unparalleled opportunity to explore the mechanisms behind ultrafast ejections,” Dr. Gu remarked.
“The data indicate that magnetic forces, resembling those involved in coronal mass ejections from the Sun, are responsible for the acceleration of the outflow.”
“A coronal mass ejection occurs when a hefty plume of hot solar plasma is hurled into space.”
“In contrast, supermassive black holes can produce similar events, but these eruptions are 10 billion times more potent and far smaller than solar phenomena we’ve observed.”
Scientists propose that the black hole activity observed may mirror its solar counterpart, driven by an abrupt burst of magnetic energy.
This challenges the widely-held theory that black holes expel matter predominantly through intense radiation or extreme heat.
These findings provide fresh insights into how black holes not only consume matter but can also expel it back into space under specific conditions.
This feedback process plays a critical role in galaxy evolution, affecting nearby stars and gas and potentially contributing to the structure of the universe as we know it.
“This discovery highlights the effective collaboration that underpins all ESA missions,” noted XMM-Newton project scientist and ESA astronomer Dr. Eric Courkers.
“By focusing on an active supermassive black hole, the two telescopes unveiled something unprecedented: rapid, ultrafast flare-induced winds similar to those generated by the Sun.”
“Interestingly, this suggests that solar physics and high-energy physics may operate in surprisingly similar fashions throughout the universe.”
The team’s paper was published in the December 9, 2025 issue of the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.
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Gu Lee Yi et al. 2025. Investigating NGC 3783 with XRISM. III. Emergence of ultra-high-speed outflow during soft flares. A&A 704, A146; doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202557189
A supermassive black hole in the process of engulfing a massive star
California Institute of Technology/R. Hurt (IPAC)
Astronomers have made an astounding discovery of the brightest flare ever observed from a supermassive black hole. This flare was so intense that it can only be attributed to a tidal disruption event (TDE), where a colossal star was torn apart by a distant galaxy’s black hole, unleashing an extraordinary burst of energy that is still resonating.
Originating from an active galactic nucleus (AGN) — a supermassive black hole at the core of a galaxy consuming matter — this event is approximately 20 billion light-years from Earth, marking it as one of the most distant TDEs recorded. Notably, many TDEs remain undetected in AGNs due to the fluctuating brightness near these active black holes, which obscures the distinction between a TDE and other phenomena.
“For the last 60 years, we have understood AGNs to be highly volatile, but we lacked clarity about their variability,” explains Matthew Graham from the California Institute of Technology. “Currently, we are aware of millions of AGNs, yet their variability remains largely a mystery.” The event, dubbed “Superman” due to its remarkable brightness, holds the potential to unravel some of these cosmic enigmas.
Initially identified in 2018, astronomers speculated that Superman might merely be a bright explosion from a relatively nearby galaxy. It wasn’t until 2023 that subsequent observations unveiled its true distance and revealed that its brightness was significantly more intense than initially estimated.
This first flare enhanced AGN visibility to over 40 times greater and was 30 times more powerful than any other flare recorded from AGN. Graham and his research team concluded that the most plausible explanation is the disintegration of a massive star, possibly over 30 times the mass of the Sun.
All active supermassive black holes are surrounded by a region of infalling material known as an accretion disk. The matter density in this area is expected to yield substantial stars, although they have never been directly observed. “If our interpretation of this as a TDE is correct, it substantiates our hypothesis regarding the existence of these massive stars in such environments,” noted Graham.
“We once believed that active supermassive black holes simply housed gas disks that meandered about. However, this scenario is much more dynamic and active,” he adds. By examining the fading Superman, we may uncover a deeper understanding of its environment.
Moreover, it may lead to the establishment of a model for TDEs in AGNs, enhancing future detection efforts. “When a potential TDE is identified in an AGN, it remains uncertain whether it is merely an active galactic nucleus or if a true TDE is occurring, so having such unambiguous evidence is invaluable,” states Vivian Baldassare from Washington State University. “This will greatly aid in revealing future TDEs and understanding various AGN variability sources.”
A supermassive black hole has violently consumed a massive star, resulting in a cosmic explosion that shone as brightly as 10 trillion suns, according to a recent study.
This event, referred to as a black hole flare, is believed to be the largest and most remote ever detected.
“This is genuinely a one-in-a-million occurrence,” stated Matthew Graham, a research professor of astronomy at the California Institute of Technology and the lead author of the study published Tuesday in Nature Astronomy.
Graham indicated that based on the explosion’s intensity and duration, a black hole flare is likely the explanation, but further studies will be necessary to validate this conclusion.
While it is common for black holes to devour nearby stars, gas, dust, and other materials, such significant flare events are exceptionally rare, according to Graham.
“This enormous flare is far more energetic than anything we’ve encountered previously,” he remarked, noting that the explosion’s peak luminosity was 30 times that of any black hole flare documented so far.
Its extreme intensity is partly due to the massive size of the celestial objects involved. The star that came too close to the black hole is estimated to possess at least 30 times the mass of the Sun, while the supermassive black hole and its surrounding matter disk are estimated to be 500 million times more massive than the Sun.
Graham mentioned that these powerful explosions have persisted for more than seven years and are likely still ongoing.
The flare was initially detected in 2018 during a comprehensive sky survey using three ground-based telescopes. At the time, it was identified as a “particularly bright object,” but follow-up observations months later yielded little valuable data.
Consequently, black hole flares were mostly overlooked until 2023, when Graham and his team opted to revisit some intriguing findings from their earlier research. Astronomers have since managed to roughly ascertain the distance to this exceptionally bright object, and the results were astonishing.
“Suddenly, I thought, ‘Wow, this is actually quite far away,'” Graham explained. “And if it’s this far away and this bright, how much energy is it emitting? This is both unusual and intriguing.”
While the exact circumstances of the star’s demise remain unclear, Graham hypothesized that a cosmic collision might have nudged the star from its typical orbit around the black hole, leading to a close encounter.
This finding enhances our understanding of black hole behavior and evolution.
“Our perspective on supermassive black holes and their environments has dramatically transformed over the past five to ten years,” Graham stated. “We once pictured most galaxies in the universe with a supermassive black hole at the center, idly rumbling away. We now recognize it as a much more dynamic setting, and we are just beginning to explore its complexities.”
He noted that while the flares are gradually diminishing over time, they will remain detectable with ground-based telescopes for several more years.
Remarkably, Segue 1, an extremely faint dwarf galaxy, is positioned at the center of this image.
CDS, Strasbourg, France/CDS/Aladdin
Astoundingly, a supermassive black hole appears to reside at the heart of a nearby galaxy previously believed to be dominated by dark matter. Segue 1 is scarcely a galaxy, hosting merely around 1,000 stars compared to the Milky Way’s vast hundreds of billions. Yet, it seemingly contains a black hole with a mass approximately 10 times greater than the combined total of all its stars.
Segue 1 and similar dwarf galaxies lack sufficient stars to generate the gravitational force needed to hold them intact. To address this anomaly, physicists have long speculated that dark matter—a mysterious, invisible substance—fills the universe, contributing additional gravity.
Recently, Nathaniel Lujan and colleagues at the University of Texas at San Antonio began exploring computer models of Segue 1. They anticipated that the model yielding the best fit would be one characterized by dark matter. “After running hundreds of thousands of models, we were unable to find a viable solution,” Lujan remarks. “Eventually, we decided to experiment with the black hole mass, and that dramatically changed the results.”
The model that closely aligned with the observations of Segue 1 featured a black hole with a mass around 450,000 times that of the Sun. This discovery was particularly unexpected—not only due to the galaxy’s scarcity of stars but also considering its age. With so few stars, Segue 1 is estimated to have formed merely 400 million years following the universe’s initial star formation. Time constraints make it challenging for such a massive black hole to develop, especially since the much larger Milky Way likely consumed most of the gas that could have nourished Segue 1 shortly after its inception.
“This suggests there may be far more supermassive black holes than previously assumed,” Lujan states. If true, this could clarify some of the gravitational effects formerly attributed to dark matter, though it remains uncertain whether Segue 1 is typical of all dwarf galaxies. The quest for additional supermassive black holes continues.
This orange dot represents a gamma-ray burst, thought to indicate an extraordinary event.
ESO/A. Levan, A. Martin-Carrillo et al.
A black hole that has consumed a star appears to have avenged itself by devouring the star from within, generating a gamma-ray burst located approximately 9 billion light-years from Earth.
This burst, known as GRB 250702B, was initially identified by NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope in July. Such bursts are brilliant flashes of light due to jets produced by high-energy occurrences, like massive stars collapsing into black holes or the merging of neutron stars, and generally last only a few minutes.
However, GRB 250702B lasted an astonishing 25,000 seconds, equating to about 7 hours, which makes it the longest gamma-ray burst on record. Researchers have struggled to account for this phenomenon, but Eliza Knights and her team at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center propose an unusual and rare scenario.
“The only [model] providing a natural explanation for the characteristics observed in GRB 250702B involves a stellar-mass black hole falling into the star,” the researchers mentioned in their published study.
In a typical long gamma-ray burst, a massive star collapses to create a black hole and emits a jet during its demise. In this situation, however, the research team posits the inverse. An existing black hole spiraled into a companion star, whose outer layers had expanded during its later stages, resulting in the black hole losing angular momentum and descending toward the star’s center.
The black hole then incinerated the star from the inside, producing a powerful jet perceived as GRB 250702B, potentially causing a faint supernova, although it remained too dim for detection at this distance by the James Webb Space Telescope.
This theory is beneficial for understanding the mechanisms behind ultra-long bursts. Hendrik van Eerten from the University of Bath, UK, remarks, “The arguments presented in this paper are very persuasive.”
Knights and her team hope that, with the help of telescopes like the Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile, we may observe more such events in the future. Meanwhile, van Eerten describes the gamma-ray burst as “absurd.”
Here’s a glimpse from the elusive newsletter of space-time. Each month, we let physicists and mathematicians share intriguing ideas stemming from the universe’s far corners. To join this exploration, Sign up for Losing Space and Time here.
“So you have written a book on black holes?”
The stranger sips their cocktail. We are mingling at a gathering, showcasing our conversations. I nodded slightly, mixing my piña colada.
“Well then,” the stranger continues, their gaze fixed intently on me. Is it truly the case that the entire universe resembles a black hole?”
It’s a familiar inquiry. This question often arises when I mention my years spent at observatories, engaging with scientists about our understanding of these cosmic giants.
People are naturally curious. The media frequently reports on distant galaxies coming into view as we gaze out into space. Videos sharing these concepts amass millions of views on platforms like YouTube. Though it seems like fiction, the scientific exploration of this notion began as early as 1972, when physicist Raj Kumar Pathria submitted a letter to Nature titled “The Universe as a Black Hole.” This topic has surfaced repeatedly since then.
So, is it feasible?
How to create a black hole
In simple terms, black holes are regions in space where gravity is so intense that not even light can escape.
These enigmatic entities were first mathematically described by astronomer Karl Schwarzschild during World War I. Amidst the sounds of battle on the Western Front, he was intrigued by how Albert Einstein’s groundbreaking general relativity predicted planetary dynamics and stellar structures.
Schwarzschild derived a formula detailing how space and time behave in ways that defy common experience, creating areas that would be termed black holes.
This discovery provided profound insights into black hole dynamics. It requires a particular mass, like that of a human, planet, or star, compressed within a volume determined by Schwarzschild’s formula, et voilà! A black hole emerges.
The critical volume varies with the object’s mass. For a human being, this volume is minuscule, a hundred times smaller than a proton. For Earth, it’s akin to a golf ball, while for the Sun, the volume resembles the size of downtown Los Angeles (approximately 6 km, or just under 4 miles).
Creating black holes is challenging. Under typical conditions, materials tend not to compress to incredibly high densities. Only extreme cosmic events, like the supernova explosion of a massive star, can compel matter to collapse into a black hole.
Interestingly, the black holes formed from dying stars come from extremely dense matter, whereas the much larger supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies possess much lower densities. According to Schwarzschild’s equation, bigger black holes actually have less average density than air!
So what about the universe itself? Given that it consists largely of empty space, can such density relate to that of black holes?
Polarized light from the cosmic microwave background
ESA/Planck Collaboration
Measuring Space
With the help of Schwarzschild’s formula, astronomers can ascertain whether an object is a black hole. First, determine its mass. Next, ascertain the volume. If the object’s mass is contained within a volume smaller than that specified by Schwarzschild’s equation, it qualifies as a black hole.
Now, applying this concept to the entire universe requires knowledge of its mass and volume. However, determining the universe’s total size is impossible, as wandering with a cosmic ruler isn’t feasible. Instead, we can observe light and particles that come to us from the cosmos.
The oldest light we detect originates from the cosmic microwave background, which was produced a mere 380,000 years after the Big Bang. As the universe expands, the origin of this light is now astronomically distant. In fact, the total distance light has traveled since the Big Bang allows us to see an observable universe with a diameter of about 93 billion light years.
Through rigorous measurements over many years, astronomers estimate the mass contained within this volume to be approximately 1054 kg (that’s a 1 followed by 54 zeros).
Next, let’s calculate the hypothetical size of a black hole with this mass using Schwarzschild’s formula. After some calculations, it turns out that such a black hole would be roughly three times larger than the observable universe, measuring around 300 billion light years across. Thus, simply from the observed mass and size of the universe, it seems to satisfy the criteria of being a black hole.
“Wow,” exclaimed the curious stranger at the cocktail party, “Does this mean the universe is indeed a black hole?”
“Not so fast, my friend,” I replied. To grasp this question fully, we must delve deeper into the nature of black holes.
Into the Void
Black holes are peculiar. One of their odd characteristics is that while they appear to be fixed sizes externally, they are continuously evolving internally. According to Schwarzschild’s formula, the internal space elongates in one dimension while compressing in the other two simultaneously. (If a black hole spins, its interior behaves differently, but that’s a tale for another time.)
Cosmologists refer to this structure as anisotropy. The term derives from tropos, meaning “direction,” and iso, meaning “equal,” alongside an, denoting negation. The dynamics of anisotropy within a black hole leads to one spatial direction expanding while the other two contract. This phenomenon, along with the infamous spaghettification, relates to the tidal forces experienced by any object drawn in.
In contrast, the universe expands isotropically (uniformly in all directions). Doesn’t that sound akin to the interior of a black hole?
However, this doesn’t eliminate the possibility of a “universe as a black hole.” Both structures share two pivotal features: the event horizon and singularity.
The event horizon marks a boundary beyond which light cannot escape. For a black hole, this signifies a point of no return for anything crossing this threshold. In the universe, space expands so swiftly that light from exceedingly distant galaxies cannot reach us.
The event horizon of our universe can be thought of as an inverted version of a black hole’s event horizon. The former limits our observation from the furthest reaches of space, while the latter confines us from seeing beyond its depths.
This reciprocal relationship is also observable in the singularity—the point where density and curvature of spacetime become infinite. According to Schwarzschild’s formula, the singularity is a destination for unfortunate astronauts crossing a black hole’s event horizon. Conversely, our cosmological models indicate that singularities exist in the past—backtracking the universe’s expansion leads every space point closer together, intensifying density. In this context, the beginnings of the Big Bang culminate in a singularity. So, for black holes, this mathematical singularity lies in the future; for our expanding universe, it exists in the past. In both instances, the complexity indicated signifies just how little we understand about these dense, enigmatic points.
Sum it all up—the disparities in expansion, event horizon, and singularity—paint a convincing picture of our universe: it’s not a black hole. It just doesn’t fit that label!
“But wait,” the stranger interjects, feeling disheartened, “I thought we calculated that the universe met the criteria for a black hole.”
“While the computations are indeed accurate,” I explain, “we observe that mathematical relationships akin to Schwarzschild’s also align within the context of an expanding universe. This isn’t exclusively characteristic of black holes.”
It suggests that strange phenomena exist at the largest cosmic scales, beyond our observational reach with telescopes. However, according to models of non-rotating, expanding black holes, our universe lacks the definitive traits that categorize it as a black hole. What to make of it? Personally, I view it as a testament to gravity’s versatility, crafting magnificent structures that encapsulate the essence of time and space.
Jets erupting from the black hole at the heart of the Galaxy M87
Jan Röder; Maciek Wielgus et al. (2025)
Over a hundred years ago, Heber Curtis identified the inaugural black hole jet, a tremendous stream of heated plasma emerging from the supermassive black hole located in the core of the Galaxy M87. The James Webb Space Telescope is currently scrutinizing this jet with remarkable precision.
Since its initial observation in 1918, the M87 jet gained fame for being connected to the first imaged black hole in 2019; however, it has been analyzed by various telescopes and is arguably the most extensively studied black hole jet. Yet, many aspects of its behavior, like some intensely luminous regions and darker spiral-shaped sections, still lack thorough explanation. Astronomers suspect these may be the result of jet beam refocusing or varying chains that form upon interacting with new materials like the dense gaseous regions. Nonetheless, the fundamental mechanisms remain elusive.
Recently, Maciek Wielgus from the Institute of Astrophysics in Andalusia, Spain, along with his colleagues, utilized the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to further unveil the famous luminous features of the M87 jets. They also succeeded in capturing a striking and less frequently observed counterjet that shoots out in the opposite direction from the other side of the black hole.
Wielgus and his team analyzed data retrieved from another project examining the M87 star, where JWST’s infrared sensors proved particularly effective. The overwhelming starlight complicated the jet analysis, necessitating the data to be re-evaluated to filter out the extraneous light. “This is a classic example of what astronomers often describe as using another’s discarded data,” notes Wielgus.
The first bright region identified in the jet is termed Hubble Space Telescope 1, in acknowledgment of the discovering telescope, and is believed to result from the jet’s compression entering a higher pressure environment. This phenomenon resembles the bright diamond-shaped patterns seen in rocket engine exhausts.
Researchers can also observe the far end of the jet on the opposite side of M87. As it propels away from us at speeds nearing the speed of light, Einstein’s theory of special relativity renders it much dimmer than it inherently is. However, when this beam encounters another area of gas with varying pressures, it expands and becomes perceptible.
This indicates the end of the material foam surrounding M87, alongside the visible termination of the jet nearest to us. With the imaging of the other end of the jet in such detail in infrared, astronomers can commence modeling the gas structures present within this bubble, states Wielgus.
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The Big Bang may have been an explosive rebound from a collapsing black hole.
According to a new study led by Enrique Gastagnaga at the University of Portsmouth, this paper posits that the Big Bang was actually a “big bounce,” triggered when matter fell into a massive, compressed black hole, leading to a rebound and subsequent expansion that formed the universe.
“In essence, our entire observable universe could exist within a black hole in a larger universe,” Gastagnaga stated. BBC Science Focus.
I was trapped in event horizon
A recently published study in Physical Review D re-evaluated the fate of a dense, large gas cloud collapsing under its own gravity.
Instead of leading to an infinitely dense point known as a singularity, this research suggests that the collapse halts at a certain point before bouncing back.
This rebound initiates a rapid expansion akin to what cosmologists theorize occurred post-Big Bang. In a way, our reality might be trapped at the event horizon of a black hole.
The “black hole universe model” offers insights into key issues concerning the current mainstream understanding of cosmology known as the standard model.
The standard model necessitates a period of inflation, suggesting the entire cosmos expanded rapidly just moments after the Big Bang. It also involves “dark energy,” the elusive material responsible for the universe’s expansion.
“However, we lack a true understanding of these components,” Gastagnaga noted. “Conversely, both phases of rapid expansion arise naturally in the black hole universe model, attributed to its bounce geometry and dynamics.
“One compelling aspect of this model is its simplicity. It relies solely on gravity and quantum mechanics to elucidate the expansion, inflation, and dark energy of the universe without requiring additional assumptions or unknown elements.”
The black hole universe model does face its own distinct challenges. For instance, dark matter remains poorly understood. We recognize the presence of this invisible material throughout the universe, holding galaxies together, yet astronomers struggle to identify its nature.
“Certain forms of dark matter could be linked to remnants from our universe’s collapse phase, but further exploration of this idea is necessary,” Gastagnaga revealed.
Our entire universe might be confined within the event horizon of a black hole – Credit: Getty Images
If the universe originated in a black hole, we could still exist within one. Some of the black holes we observe might represent mini cosmos, each with their own miniature black holes.
“This can be envisioned as a nested structure—one black hole within another, akin to Russian nesting dolls,” Gastagnaga explained.
However, not every one of the trillion black holes in our universe necessarily contains its own miniature cosmos, as the size of the black holes influences the time available for small structures to form.
“Large black holes (like ours) allow for the development of galaxies, stars, and planets, while smaller ones may evolve too rapidly for anything noteworthy to occur,” Gastagnaga stated.
“This is crucial because gravitational collapse predicts the existence of significantly smaller black holes than the large ones. The fact that we reside within one of the rare, very large cases might not simply be a coincidence.
The concept of a black hole universe emerged when Gastagnaga and his team adopted a new perspective on the origins of our universe.
“Rather than assuming the universe began with an inexplicable ‘bang’, we reversed our approach, starting with matter collapsing into a black hole,” he detailed.
It all revolves around the principle of quantum exclusion principle. In brief, this principle asserts that two identical particles cannot occupy the same space at once.
Thus, there exists a limit to how densely particles can be arranged before compaction becomes untenable according to the quantum exclusion principle.
This limitation is one reason why stars like white dwarfs do not simply collapse under their own weight.
“The exclusion principle is also applicable to some black holes,” Gastagnaga explained. “It halts material from collapsing into a singular point by slowing the process, stopping it at high density, causing a bounce, and entirely avoiding singularity.”
Relic black hole
The theory that the universe began with the Big Bang is sound in theory, but cosmologists cannot confirm its validity until it undergoes testing.
Fortunately, this theory generates specific predictions regarding the appearance of our universe, allowing astronomers to assess its validity.
“We predict that the universe is slightly curved; it behaves like a sphere but isn’t perfectly flat,” Gastagnaga explained.
The first direct visual evidence of a black hole (at the heart of the elliptical galaxy Messier 87 in the Virgo constellation) was captured by the Event Horizon Telescope in April 2017. -Photo Credit: EHT Collaboration
Most efforts to measure the universe’s curvature have indicated it is flat, but there may exist subtle bends that current methods are not sensitive enough to detect. Hence, the European Space Agency’s Euclidean spacecraft is engaged in the most precise measurements of cosmic curvature to date, with completion expected by 2030.
“It also predicts the presence of Relic black holes and Relic neutron stars—objects that survived the bounce and formed during the collapse stages, which may still exist today,” Gastagnaga added.
These relics could have shaped the evolution of galaxies and stars over time. There is potential to identify the signatures of these artifacts in our current observations of the universe, revealing whether they reside within black holes.
Molecular gas and X-ray emissions around Sagittarius A*, a black hole in the Milky Way.
Mark D. Golsky et al. (CC by 4.0)
Researchers have confirmed that hot winds are emanating from the supermassive black hole at the center of the Galaxy for the first time.
In contrast to many other supermassive black holes throughout the universe, Sagittarius A* (SGR A*) remains relatively subdued. Unlike its more active counterparts that emit vast jets, SGR A* does not produce such striking displays. While many supermassive black holes create winds, which are streams of hot gas that originate near the event horizon, these have never been definitively observed around SGR A*, despite theoretical predictions dating back to the 1970s.
Mark Golsky and Elena Marchikova from Northwestern University, Illinois, utilized the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile to conduct a more detailed study of the cold gas in the innermost region of the Circumnuclear Disk (CND). Their observations revealed an unexpectedly large volume of cold gas and a distinct cone that penetrates through the hot gas.
“To find such a significant amount of cold gas so close to the black hole was surprising,” says Golsky. “Conventional understanding suggested it was unlikely to be there, which is why we hadn’t previously searched for it. When I shared this image, my colleague remarked, ‘We need to investigate this further, as it’s been a puzzle for over 50 years.’”
Golsky and Marchikova’s five years of observations provided a detailed analysis of the innermost part of the CND, mapping cold gases within a vicinity of SGR A* 100 times previous measurements. By simulating and subtracting the bright variability of SGR A*, they could isolate the dim light from the cold gas.
This approach revealed a pronounced cone region nearly devoid of cold gas, and when they overlaid X-ray emissions (produced by the hot gas), a striking correlation emerged. The energy required to propel the hot gas through this cone approximates that of 25,000 suns—far too substantial to originate from nearby stars or supernovae, indicating it likely derives from SGR A* itself. “The energy necessary comes directly from the black hole, confirming the presence of winds originating from it,” Golsky states.
<p>Prior observations have identified expansive gas bubbles, known as Fermi bubbles, situated above and below the galaxy. However, the possibility of these jets reforming remains uncertain. Understanding this wind phenomenon sheds light on why SGR A* shows lower activity and enhances our comprehension of black hole evolution.</p>
<p>The implications of the reduced wind activity surrounding SGR A* are exciting. If verified, findings by <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=1VNwK9gAAAAJ&hl=en">Ziri Younsi</a> from University College London could offer crucial insights into the nature of the black hole, including its rotational direction. Astronomers have postulated that SGR A* spins perpendicular to the Milky Way plane, implying a need for edge-on observation. However, the inaugural image of a black hole captured by the Event Horizon Telescope in 2022 produced inconclusive data, suggesting a possible in-person orientation.</p>
<p>“The mass of Sagittarius A* is well-defined by current observations, but its tilt angle relative to us remains largely unknown,” explains Younsi. “If these findings are robust, understanding the origins of these matter flows will be genuinely fascinating, as it will provide insights into how material spirals toward the black hole, contributing to our knowledge of galactic evolution.”</p>
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A newly identified supermassive black hole resides in the center of the “Little Red Dot” galaxy, known as Capers-LRD-Z9, existing merely 500 million years after the Big Bang.
Artistic impressions of Capers-Lrd-Z9. Image credit: Erik Zumalt, University of Texas, Austin.
“Finding a black hole like this pushes the limits of what we can currently detect,” remarked Dr. Anthony Taylor, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Texas at Austin.
“We’re truly expanding the boundaries of technological capability today.”
“While astronomers have identified more distant candidates, clear spectroscopic signatures for black holes have yet to be found,” noted Dr. Stephen Finkelstein from the University of Texas at Austin.
The astronomers conducted their research using data from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, as part of the CAPERS (Candels-Area Prism Epoch of Reionization Survey) program.
Initially regarded as a mere speck in the program images, Capers-LRD-Z9 is now recognized as part of a newly classified category of galaxies called Little Red Dots.
“The find of the Little Red Dot was a surprising revelation from initial Webb data. It did not resemble the galaxies captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope,” Dr. Finkelstein explained.
“We are currently working to understand what they are and how they formed.”
Capers-Lrd-Z9 contributes to the growing evidence that the ultra-large black hole plays a critical role in the unusual luminosity of small red dots.
Typically, such brightness signifies a galaxy teeming with stars. However, in the absence of substantial stellar mass, these small red dots cease to exist.
These galaxies may also help clarify what causes the distinct red hue observed in small red dots, which is altered to a red wavelength as it passes through surrounding gas clouds encircling the black hole.
“I’ve observed these clouds in other galaxies,” Dr. Taylor stated.
“When I compared this object to others, it was unmistakable.”
Capers-LRD-Z9 merits attention due to the immense size of its black hole.
It’s estimated to be as massive as 300 million solar masses, equating to half the total star mass within the galaxy. This size is notably large, even among supermassive black holes.
By discovering such massive black holes early on, astronomers provide a unique opportunity to investigate the growth and evolution of these entities.
Black holes existing in later epochs had diverse opportunities for growth over their lifetimes, yet this was not the case during the initial hundreds of millions of years.
“This reinforces the increasing evidence that early black holes grew much faster than previously believed,” Dr. Finkelstein mentioned.
“Or they might have originated much larger than our models suggested.”
These findings are detailed in a paper published in the Astrophysical Journal.
____
Anthony J. Taylor et al. 2025. Capers-Lrd-Z9: Gasensing Little Dot hosts Broadline’s active galactic nucleus at z = 9.288. apjl 989, L7; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ade789
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Illustration of two black holes merging and emitting gravitational waves throughout the universe
Maggie Chiang from the Simons Foundation
Stephen Hawking’s theorem, established over 50 years ago, has aided astronomers in detecting waves produced by extraordinarily powerful collisions as they traverse Earth at light speed, shedding light on the merging of black holes thanks to significant advancements in gravitational wave astronomy.
In 1971, Hawking introduced the Black Hole Area theorem, which posits that when two black holes combine, the resultant event horizon cannot be smaller than the combined size of the original black holes. This theorem aligns with the second law of thermodynamics, which asserts that the entropy of a system cannot decrease.
The merging of black holes warps the structure of the universe, generating tiny ripples in space-time known as gravitational waves that move through the cosmos at the speed of light. Five gravitational wave observatories on Earth search for waves that are 10,000 times smaller than an atom. These include two detectors in the US—LIGO, a laser interferometer, alongside Italy’s Virgo, Japan’s Kagura, and Germany’s GEO600.
The recent event, named GW250114, mirrors the event that first detected gravitational waves in 2015.
Now, the upgraded LIGO detector is three times more sensitive than it was in 2015, enabling the capture of waves from collisions with remarkable detail. This has allowed scientists to confirm Hawking’s theorem, proving that the size of the event horizon actually increases following a merger.
When black holes collide, they generate gravitational waves with overtones akin to the sound of a ringing bell, as noted by Laura Nuttall, a member of the LVK team at the University of Portsmouth, UK. Previously, these overtones were too rapid to be detected clearly enough to assess the area of the event horizon before and after a merger, a crucial requirement to test Hawking’s theory. The initial 2021 study supporting the theory confirmed it at a 95% confidence level, but the latest findings suggest an impressive 99.999% confidence.
Over the past ten years, scientists have witnessed approximately 300 black hole collisions while observing gravitational waves. However, none have been as strong as GW250114, which was twice as powerful as any previously detected gravitational wave.
“What we are discovering in our data has tremendous implications for understanding basic physics,” remarked a researcher. “We’re eager for nature to provide us with further astonishing revelations.”
Only LIGO was operational when GW250114’s waves reached Earth; other detectors in the LVK collaboration were not active. This did not affect the validation of Hawking’s theory but limited researchers’ ability to pinpoint the waves’ origins more precisely.
Future upgrades to LIGO and upcoming observatories are anticipated to enhance sensitivity, offering deeper insights into black hole physics, according to Ian Harry, also from the University of Portsmouth and part of the LVK team. “We may miss some events, but we will certainly capture similar phenomena again,” Harry expressed. “Perhaps with our next set of upgrades in 2028, we might witness something of this magnitude and gain deeper insights.”
These findings pave the way for future research into quantum gravity, a field where physicists aim to reconcile general relativity with quantum mechanics. Nuttall stated that the latest results indicate that both theories remain compatible, although inconsistencies are expected in future observations.
“At some point, discrepancies are likely to emerge, especially when close signals appear noisy as the detector’s sensitivity improves,” Nuttall explained.
Moreover, the recent data from LVK enabled scientists to confirm equations proposed by mathematician Leakir in the 1960s, which suggested that black holes could be described by two key metrics: mass and spin. Essentially, two black holes with identical mass and spin are mathematically indistinguishable. Observations from GW250114 have verified this assertion.
Physical Review Letters
doi: 10.1103/kw5g-d732
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Gravitational waves result from colliding black holes
Victor de Schwanberg/Science Photography Library
Researching the universe can be enhanced by AI created by Google DeepMind. With an algorithm capable of diminishing unwanted noise by as much as 100 times, the Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO), equipped with laser interferometers, can identify specific black hole types that are affecting our separation.
LIGO aims to detect gravitational waves generated when entities like black holes spiral and collide. These waves traverse the universe at light speed, yet the spacetime fluctuations are minimal—10,000 times smaller than an atomic nucleus. Since its initial detection a decade ago, LIGO has recorded signals from nearly 100 black hole collisions.
The experiment comprises two U.S. observatories, each with two perpendicular arms measuring 4 km. A laser is directed down each arm and bounced off precise mirrors, where an interferometer compares the beams. As gravitational waves pass through, the lengths of the arms fluctuate slightly, and these changes are meticulously documented to help visualize the signals’ origins.
However, achieving such precision is challenging, as even distant ocean waves or clouds can interfere with measurements. This noise can overwhelm the signal, rendering some observations unfeasible. To counterbalance this noise and accurately adjust the mirrors and other equipment, numerous critical tweaks are essential.
Lana Adhikari from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena stated that his team has collaborated with DeepMind to innovate new AI methods. He mentions that even automating these adjustments can sometimes introduce noise. “That control noise has puzzled us for decades. All aspects in this space are hindered,” Adhikari explains. “How can you stabilize a mirror without creating noise? If left uncontrolled, the mirror tends to oscillate unpredictably.”
Laura Nuttall from the University of Portsmouth, UK, was involved in manually executing these adjustments at LIGO. “Changing one element causes a cascading effect; one change leads to another,” she points out. “It feels like an endless cycle of fine-tuning.”
DeepMind’s new AI, known as Deep Loop Shaping, aims to minimize noise by making up to 100 adjustments to LIGO’s mirrors. The AI is trained via simulations before being implemented in real-world scenarios, focusing on achieving two main objectives: limiting the number of adjustments it performs. “Over time, as it repeatedly operates, it’s like conducting hundreds or thousands of trials in a simulation. The controller learns what strategies work and identifies the best approach,” says Jonas Buchli from DeepMind.
Alberto Vecchio from the University of Birmingham, UK, expressed enthusiasm for the AI’s role in LIGO but mentioned that many challenges remain. The AI currently operates effectively for only an hour under real conditions, necessitating longer-term validation. Additionally, it’s only been applied to one control aspect, while many hundreds, if not thousands, of factors could assist in stabilizing the mirrors.
“This is clearly an initial step, but it’s certainly a fascinating one. There’s considerable scope for significant advancement,” Vecchio remarked.
If similar enhancements could be replicated elsewhere, it’s possible to detect medium-sized black holes—those around 1,000 times the mass of our sun—a category that has yet to see confirmed observations. Improvements are typically seen with the low-frequency gravitational waves generated by large bodies, where noise can obscure the signals.
“We’ve observed black holes up to 100 solar masses and more than a million solar masses in galaxies. What’s out there in between?” Vecchio pondered. “There’s a perception that black holes exist across a spectrum of masses, yet clear experimental evidence remains elusive.”
Nuttall commented that this new methodology could enhance identification of known black hole types. “This appears quite promising,” she stated. “I’m thrilled about this development.”
Astronomers have been monitoring the largest black holes observed in space thus far.
Through a combination of two distinct measurement techniques, researchers have recently identified that these colossal black holes possess nearly 10,000 times the mass of the ultra-massive black holes at the center of our galaxy.
This colossal black hole is situated five billion light-years from Earth, at the core of the Cosmic Horseshoe, one of the largest known galaxies. This massive galaxy seems to gather all the galaxies in its vicinity, meaning both it and its black hole have reached their ultimate sizes.
The black hole itself weighs an astonishing 36 billion times the mass of our sun.
The discovery is particularly remarkable given that these black holes are inactive, lacking the typical surrounding luminous dusty disc.
Instead, a recent study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society utilized a combination of two established methods to ascertain the size of this mega black hole.
“The ‘golden’ method generally depends on the kinematics of stars, meaning we measure how the stars move within the galaxy,” noted Carlos Mello in an interview with BBC Science Focus. He is a PhD student at a federal university in Brazil that led the research.
The speed of stars situated at the center of a galaxy correlates closely with the mass of its supermassive black hole. Scientists report that these stars are moving at astonishing velocities, around 400 kilometers (249 miles) per second, indicating an extraordinarily large black hole.
“However, this technique is most efficient for nearby galaxies where telescopes can better resolve the area surrounding the black hole,” Mello explained.
Given that the Cosmic Horseshoe is five billion light-years away, astronomers also employed a second method that utilizes the gravitational lensing effect of galaxies.
The Cosmic Horseshoe is known for the nearly perfect ring of light formed by a gravitational lens that bends light from a background galaxy – Credit: NASA/ESA
Gravitational lenses occur when light from a distant galaxy passes by a massive “lens” object, in this case, the black hole within the Cosmic Horseshoe. The gravity from this “lens” distorts the incoming light much like a magnifying glass, amplifying the light from the background galaxy while altering its appearance.
Astronomers can utilize this distortion to gauge the mass of the lensing object.
“The Cosmic Horseshoe is exceptional because it enables us to leverage both of these powerful methods simultaneously. This gives me greater confidence in the measurements of the black hole and its mass,” Mello remarked.
Both the galaxy and its black hole have achieved immense scales by merging with neighboring galaxies. This is the typical growth process for galaxies over time; ultimately, no surrounding galaxies can merge without reaching significant mass increases.
The Cosmic Horseshoe has reached this advanced stage, existing within a bubble of relatively few bright galaxies nearby.
“This discovery provides a unique insight into the culmination of galaxy and black hole formation,” Mello stated. “By examining this system, we can enhance our understanding of how other galaxies and their ultra-massive black holes evolve over cosmic time.”
About Our Experts
Carlos Mello is a doctoral student at a Federal University in Brazil.
Spectroscopy enables astronomers to detect traces of matter in stars, galaxies, and other cosmic entities. Black holes consume dust and encounter various phenomena around them; as material spirals into a black hole, it compresses and heats up. Stephen Finkelstein, a co-author and professor of astronomy at the University of Texas at Austin, noted that all of this can be observed through spectroscopy.
“We’re searching for these signatures of extremely fast gas,” Finkelstein explained. “We’re discussing speeds of 1,000, 2,000, and at times even 3,000 kilometers per second. There’s nothing else in the universe that moves this quickly, so we can confirm it must be the gas surrounding a black hole.”
Scientists have pinpointed a potential distant black hole candidate, which stands as the oldest candidate confirmed via spectroscopy, he added.
Researchers also find galaxies containing new black holes to be intriguing discoveries. According to Taylor, these galaxies belong to a class known as “Little Red Dots.”
While not much information is available about Little Red Dots, they were first detected by the James Webb Space Telescope. Some have been found relatively close by, but Finkelstein indicated that they are likely more prevalent in the early universe.
Investigating the Capers-Lrd-Z9 Galaxy may offer insights into the rarity of red dots and what defines their unique coloration, researchers noted. It could also shed light on the growth of these ancient black holes during the universe’s formative stages.
In subsequent studies, researchers aim to locate more black holes in the distant cosmos.
“We’re just going to examine a very limited section of the sky using the James Webb Space Telescope,” Finkelstein stated. “If we discover one thing, there ought to be more.”
Scientists have discovered an extraordinarily massive black hole billions of light years away
Igorzh/Shutterstock
A colossal black hole, located in a galaxy five billion light years away, boasts a mass over 10,000 times greater than the ultra-massive black hole found at the center of the Milky Way, and about 360 times greater than that of our Sun.
“This is likely the largest black hole in the universe,” states Thomas Collett from the University of Portsmouth, UK. “It’s equivalent to the mass of an entire small galaxy condensed into one singularity.”
This supermassive black hole is situated approximately five billion light years away, residing in one of the most well-known galaxies, referred to as the Space Horseshoe. Space Horseshoes serve as the largest known galaxy lenses, capable of bending light from objects situated behind them due to their immense gravitational forces. Previous research indicated that such enormous black holes might exist in the center of this galaxy, though pinpointing their exact mass has proven challenging for scientists.
To accurately determine the mass of the black hole, Collett and his team analyzed the orbital velocity of a nearby star, which directly correlates to the black hole’s mass. Additionally, they assessed how much light is distorted by the gravitational influence of the black hole, a phenomenon known as gravitational lensing. “Combining these two measurements allowed us to yield a highly confident estimation,” says Collett.
The mass of this black hole is remarkably large, aligning with Collett’s team’s prior investigations. Their research focuses on mapping the distribution of dark matter in the Galaxy, utilizing data gathered from observed light. They found that a successful model was only achievable with the inclusion of a supermassive black hole at the center of the universe’s horseshoe.
“The only time I started to get a good model was when I began considering black holes with incredibly high masses,” remarks Collett.
The horseshoe galaxy is theorized to be a ‘fossil group’ galaxy. This type of stellar system has absorbed all of its neighboring galaxies, a behavior that helps clarify the phenomenon of its black hole’s formidable size.
Yet, one enigmatic aspect persists. The black hole appears to have ceased growing and is currently dormant. “For it to expand, it must have been connected to the entire universe at some stage. It’s curious that it’s inactive at this moment,” Collett adds. “A process must have contributed to the black hole’s growth before it eventually plateaued.”
Utilizes data from 10m space-based wireless telescopes, including Radioastron. Astronomers have formed a network of 27 ground observation stations focused on OJ 287, a galaxy approximately 5 billion light-years distant from the Cancer constellations.
This image of OJ 287 reveals the sharply curved ribbon-like structure of the plasma jet emitted from its center. Image credits: Efthalia Traianou / Heidelberg University / IWR.
“Among the different types of active galactic nuclei, BL Lacertae (BL LAC) objects are notable for their rapid, large-amplitude variability and significant polarization across multiple wavelengths due to relativistic jets aligned closely with our line of sight.”
“A standout example of this subclass is OJ 287, characterized by a redshift of z = 0.306.”
Optical observations of OJ 287 have yielded an extensive light curve extending back to the 1880s, covering nearly 150 years.
This comprehensive dataset has uncovered periodic brightness variations, featuring marked 60-year cycles and notable high-brightness flares with recurrent double peaks occurring approximately every 12 years.
These periodic changes can be attributed to the presence of a binary supermassive black hole system, where secondary supermassive black holes follow eccentric precession paths around the more massive primary.
“The level of detail in the new images allows us to see the structure of the OJ 287 Galaxy like never before,” stated Dr. Traianou.
“The images penetrate deep into the galaxy’s center, revealing the jet’s sharply curved ribbon-like structure.”
“This also provides new insights into the composition and dynamics of plasma jets.”
“Certain regions exceed temperatures of 10 trillion Kelvin, indicating the release of extreme energy and movement near the black hole.”
Astronomers have also monitored the development, dispersion, and interactions of new shock waves along the jet, linking them to energies in the range of trillions of electron volts from rare gamma-ray observations made in 2017.
Using Radioastron and 27 terrestrial observatories, they captured images of OJ 287 across the radio spectrum.
The imaging relies on measurement techniques that utilize overlapping waves related to the properties of light waves.
“Interference measurement images bolster the hypothesis that a binary supermassive black hole resides within OJ 287,” the researchers commented.
“This also offers critical insights on how these black holes influence the shape and direction of the emitted plasma jet.”
“These unique characteristics position the galaxy as an ideal candidate for further studies on black hole mergers and associated gravitational waves.”
Survey results will be published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.
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E. Traianou et al. 2025. Reveal ribbon-like jets on OJ 287 via Radioastron. A&A 700, A16; doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202554929
Researchers have identified a newly found intermediate mass black hole designated NGC 6099 HLX-1, situated in a dense star cluster at the edge of the elliptical galaxy NGC 6099, nearly 40,000 light-years from the galaxy’s core.
X-ray and infrared imagery of NGC 6099 HLX-1. Image credits: NASA/CXC/Inst. Astronomy, Taiwan / YC Chang / ESA / STSCI / HST / J. Depasquale.
NGC 6099 is roughly 450 million light-years distant from the constellation Hercules.
Astronomers first detected an unusual X-ray source in a photo of the galaxy captured by NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory in 2009.
This source has since been studied further with ESA’s XMM-Newton Space Observatory.
“X-ray sources exhibiting such high luminosity are uncommon outside a galaxy’s nucleus and can be significant indicators for locating elusive central black holes,” states Dr. Yi-chi Chang, an astronomer at the National Tsing Hua University.
“These objects bridge a critical gap in the understanding of black holes, linking stellar mass black holes and supermassive black holes.”
The X-ray emissions from NGC 6099 HLX-1 reach a temperature of 3 million degrees, which aligns with events of tidal disruption.
Utilizing the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers discovered signs of a small cluster of stars encircling the black hole.
This cluster feasts on matter as the stars are densely grouped, just a few months away (approximately 500 billion miles).
The intriguing intermediate mass black hole peaked in brightness in 2012, after which its luminosity steadily decreased until 2023.
However, the optical and X-ray observations across this timeframe do not align, complicating interpretation.
The black hole may have disrupted captured stars, creating a plasma disk that exhibits variability, or it might have birthed a disk that flickers as gas spirals inward.
“If an intermediate mass black hole is consuming a star, how long does it take to digest the gas?” questions Dr. Roberto Soria, an astronomer from the National Institute of Astrophysics in Italy.
“In 2009, HLX-1 was relatively bright. By 2012, it was approximately 100 times brighter, but then its brightness declined again.”
. “Now, we need to observe and see if it enters multiple cycles and identify any peaks in activity.
The researchers stress the importance of examining central mass black holes to reveal the origins of larger supermassive black holes.
Two alternative theories are suggested. One posits that large galaxies grow by merging with other substantial galaxies, positioning intermediate mass black holes as components that help formulate even larger black holes. Intermediate mass black holes in galactic centers also expand during these collisions.
Hubble’s observations indicated a correlation: the larger the galaxy, the larger the black holes residing within. One fresh insight from this discovery suggests that galaxies may host intermediate mass black holes, existing within the halos of galaxies without necessarily spiraling toward the center.
Another theory suggests that gas clouds in primordial dark matter halos might collapse directly into supermassive black holes without first forming stars.
Observations indicating Webb’s distant black holes often appear disproportionately large compared to their host galaxies lend support to this hypothesis.
However, since smaller sizes are elusive, there may exist an observational bias toward detecting very large black holes in the early universe.
In truth, there’s considerable diversity in the methods by which black holes are generated in our dynamic universe.
Ultra-massive black holes collapsing within dark matter may evolve distinctly from those within dwarf galaxies, where accretion could be the primary growth mechanism.
“If fortune favors you, you might spot a wandering black hole suddenly brightening in X-rays due to a tidal disruption event,” Dr. Soria remarked.
“Conducting statistical studies will elucidate the frequency of these intermediate mass black holes, how often they consume stars, and the mechanisms by which galaxies have expanded through the amalgamation of smaller galaxies.”
Survey findings were published in the Astrophysical Journal.
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Yi-chi Chang et al. 2025. Multi-wavelength studies of high-light X-ray sources near NGC6099: A powerful IMBH candidate. APJ 983, 109; doi:10.3847/1538-4357/adbbee
The twin detectors of the NSF’s Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) have made a groundbreaking discovery by detecting the highest composite mass recorded to date and the merger of two black holes. This event, identified as GW231123 and discovered on November 23, 2023, produced a final black hole with a mass over 225 times that of the Sun.
GW231123 An infographic detailing the merger of black holes. Image credits: Simona J. Miller/Caltech.
LIGO made history in 2015 with the first direct detection of gravitational waves, the ripples in spacetime.
In that instance, the waves were generated by the merger of black holes, culminating in a black hole with a mass 62 times that of our Sun.
The signal was simultaneously detected by LIGO’s twin detectors located in Livingston, Louisiana, and Hanford, Washington.
Since then, the LIGO team has collaborated with partners from Italy’s Virgo detectors and Japan’s KAGRA to create the LVK collaboration.
These detectors have collectively observed over 200 black hole mergers during their fourth observational run since starting in 2015.
Previously, the largest black hole merger recorded was in 2021 during the event GW190521, which had a total mass of 140 times that of the Sun.
During the GW231123 event, a black hole with a mass of 225 was formed by merging two black holes, one approximately 100 times and the other 140 times the mass of the Sun.
This discovery places it in a rare category known as intermediate mass black holes, which are heavier than those resulting from star collapses but significantly lighter than the supermassive black holes found at the centers of galaxies.
In addition to their substantial mass, these merged black holes exhibited rapid rotation.
“This is the largest black hole binary we’ve observed in gravitational waves and poses a significant challenge to our understanding of black hole formation,” stated Dr. Mark Hannam, an astrophysicist at Cardiff University and a member of the LVK collaboration.
“The existence of such a large black hole defies standard stellar evolution models.”
“One potential explanation is that the two black holes in this binary could have formed from the merger of smaller black holes.”
“This observation highlights how gravitational waves uniquely uncover the fundamental and exotic properties of black holes throughout the universe,” remarked Dr. Dave Reitze, executive director of LIGO at Caltech.
Researchers announced this week the discovery of GW231123, which will be discussed at the 24th International Conference on General Relativity and Gravity (GR24) and the 16th Edoardo Amaldi Meeting on Gravitational Waves, held jointly at the Gr-Amaldi Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland.
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LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration. GW231123: The largest black hole binary detected by gravitational waves. Gr-Amaldi 2025
New records for black holes have transformed our understanding of the universe’s most extreme entities.
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) began its groundbreaking detection of gravitational waves—ripples in the fabric of spacetime—ten years ago, unveiling nearly 100 black hole collisions. On November 23, 2023, Rigo announced receiving a signal described as “an extraordinary interpretation that defies explanation.” According to Sophie Binnie from the California Institute of Technology, her team ultimately concluded that it corresponded to the largest black hole merger ever recorded.
One of the merging black holes was approximately 100 times the mass of the sun, while the other neared 140 solar masses. Previous records featured black holes that were almost half as massive, primarily due to earlier mergers. Team member Mark Hannam from Cardiff University, UK, emphasized that these black holes were not only immense but also spinning at such high speeds that they challenged mathematical models of the universe regarding their formation.
According to Hannam, the masses of these black holes exceed those typically formed from the collapse of aging stars, suggesting they likely resulted from earlier mergers between smaller black holes. “It’s possible that multiple mergers have occurred,” he notes.
“A decade ago, we were astonished to find black holes around 30 solar masses. Now, we observe black holes over 100 solar masses,” adds Davide Gerosa from the University of Bicocca in Milan, Italy. He mentions that gravitational wave signals from these large, quickly rotating black holes are shorter and consequently more challenging to detect. Binnie presented her findings at the Edoardo Amaldi Conference on Gravitational Waves in Glasgow, England, on July 14.
Both Hannam and Binnie emphasize that future observations of similarly remarkable mergers are essential to further decipher these new signals, including unraveling the origins of black holes. As upgrades progress, LIGO is expected to detect more cosmic record-breakers. Yet, in May, the Trump administration proposed halving resources at the facility, which, in Hannam’s opinion, could render capturing new signals exceedingly difficult.
In a new research paper published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, astronomers from the University of Leicester explain for the first time how the “excessive diet” of fresh material in black holes has led to emissions reaching nearly a third of the speed of light.
This image illustrates Seyfert Galaxy PG1211+143. Image credits: Centre Donna Astromyk destrasbourg/Sinbad/SDSS.
The intense outflow of ionized gases has raised significant concerns at the ESA’s XMM-Newton X-ray observatory since its initial detection by University of Leicester astronomers in 2001, now recognized as a distinctive trait of the luminous active galactic nuclei (AGNs).
Professor Ken Pound and Dr. Kim Page from Leicester remarked:
“The black hole’s size increases with its mass, with a solar mass black hole having a radius of about 3 km.”
“Stellar mass black holes are prevalent across galaxies, often forming from the dramatic collapse of massive stars; however, ultra-massive black holes can be found in the nuclei of almost all galaxies except the smallest external ones.”
In 2014, astronomers undertook a five-week investigation of an ultra-massive black hole in the distant Seyfert Galaxy PG1211+143, located approximately 1.2 billion light-years from the constellation Coma Berenices.
Utilizing ESA’s XMM-Newton Observatory, they observed counter-inflows, accumulating at least 10 Earth masses near the black hole.
In their latest study, they detected a powerful new outflow traveling at 0.27 times the speed of light, initiated shortly thereafter. The gravitational energy released as material is drawn into the black hole is heated to millions of degrees, producing an overwhelming radiant pressure.
“Establishing a direct causal relationship between significant, temporary inflows and the resulting outflows offers an exciting perspective for observing the growth of supermassive black holes through continuous monitoring of the hot relativistic winds linked with new material accretion,” stated Professor Pound.
“PG1211+143 has been the focus of University of Leicester X-ray astronomers using ESA’s XMM-Newton Observatory since its launch in December 1999.”
“Initial findings surprisingly revealed a counterflow of rapid movements, reaching 15% of the speed of light (0.15c), affecting stellar formation (and consequently the growth) of the host galaxy.”
“Subsequent observations have shown that such winds are a common characteristic of bright AGNs.”
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Ken Pounds & Kim Page. 2025. Observations of the Eddington-style outflow from the bright Seyfert Galaxy PG1211+143. mnras 540(3): 2530-2534; doi: 10.1093/mnras/staf637
The discovery of this superwalled black hole was made possible by the newly identified tidal disruption event, AT2024TVD.
Tidal Disruption Event AT2024TVD. Image credits: NASA/CXC/University of California, Berkeley/Yao et al. /ESA /STSCI /HST /J. DEPASQUALE.
“A tidal disruption event (TDE) occurs when stars are either stretched or ‘spaghettified’ by the immense gravitational forces of black holes,” explained UC Berkeley researcher Dr. Yuhanyao.
“The remnants of the torn-apart stars are pulled into a circular orbit around the black hole.”
“This process creates high-temperature shocks and emissions that can be detected in ultraviolet and visible light.”
The AT2024TVD event enabled astronomers to utilize the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to identify elusive wandering supermassive black holes, supported by observations from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.
Interestingly, these 1 million rogue black holes are often found to be supermassive and actively consuming surrounding material.
Among the roughly 100 TDEs recorded by the Light Sky Survey, this marks the first instance of an offset TDE being identified.
In fact, at the center of the host galaxy lie ultra-massive black holes differing in mass by 100 million solar masses.
Hubble’s optical precision indicates that the TDE is located just 2,600 light-years from the larger black holes at the galaxy’s core.
This distance is comparable to just one minute of the span between our Sun and the central ultra-massive black hole of the Milky Way.
The larger black hole expels energy as it accumulates material, classifying it as an active galactic nucleus.
Interestingly, the two supermassive black holes exist within the same galaxy but are not gravitationally linked like a binary pair.
Smaller black holes can potentially spiral toward the center of the galaxy, eventually merging with their larger counterparts.
However, at this point, they are too distant to be bound by gravity.
“AT2024TVD is the first offset TDE captured through optical observations, opening up new possibilities for studying this elusive population of black holes in future surveys,” Dr. Yao remarked.
“Currently, theorists have not focused extensively on offset TDEs.
“I believe this discovery will drive scientists to search for more instances of this type of event.”
The black holes responsible for AT2024TVD are traversing the bulges of gigantic galaxies.
Black holes periodically consume stars every tens of thousands of years, lying dormant until their next “meal” arrives.
How did the black hole become displaced from the center? Previous studies suggest that three-body interactions can eject lower-mass black holes from a galaxy’s core.
This theory may apply here, given its proximity to the central black hole.
“If a black hole undergoes a three-body interaction with two other black holes in the galaxy’s core, it can remain bound to the galaxy and orbit the central region,” explained Dr. Yao.
Another possibility is that these black holes are remnants from a smaller galaxy that merged with the host galaxy over a billion years ago.
In such a case, the black hole could eventually merge with the central active black hole in the distant future. As of now, astronomers remain uncertain about its trajectory.
“There is already substantial evidence that the galaxy will increase its TDE rate, but the presence of a second black hole associated with AT2024TVD suggests a past merger has occurred.”
Astronomers using the Muse Instrument with ESO’s extremely large telescope (VLT) detected ultra-large black hole-driven winds with the Burred Spiral Galaxy NGC 4945.
This image shows NGC 4945, a spiral galaxy that exceeds 12 million light-years in the constellation of Centaurus. The super-large black hole-driven wind of the NGC 4945 is shown in red in the inset. Image credits: ESO/Marconcini et al.
NGC 4945 It is more than 12 million light years away from Earth, the constellation of Centaurus.
Otherwise known as the Caldwell 83. That’s what this galaxy was like I discovered it by James Dunlop, the Sottsch astronomer in 1826.
NGC 4945 hosts one of the closest active, ultra-large black holes to Earth.
“At the heart of almost every galaxy, they are very large black holes,” the ESO astronomer explained in a statement.
“Some people are not particularly hungry, as they are in the heart of our own Milky Way.”
“However, the super-large black hole in NGC 4945 is greedy and consumes a huge amount of problems.”
Astronomers have studied the ultra-high Massive black holes of the NGC 4945 using the Muse Instrument, an ESO’s extremely large telescope (VLT).
“Contrary to the all-consuming reputation typical of black holes, this messy eater is blowing away the powerful winds of ingredients,” they said.
“This cone-shaped wind is shown in red in the inset and is covered in a wider image taken with La Silla’s MPG/ESO telescope.”
“In fact, this wind moves so fast that it completely escapes the galaxy, giving in to space in intergalactic space.”
“This is part of a new study measuring how the wind moves in several nearby galaxies,” they added.
“Muse’s observations show that these incredibly fast winds show strange behavior. They actually speed up far from the central black hole, and accelerate even further on their journey to the outskirts of the galaxy.”
“This process suggests that black holes control the fate of the host galaxy by ejecting potential star-forming material from the galaxy and attenuating the star’s fertility.”
“It also shows that more powerful black holes can hamper their own growth by removing the gas and dust they feed, bringing the entire system closer to a kind of galactic equilibrium.”
“Now, these new results bring us one step closer to understanding the mechanisms of wind acceleration that are responsible for galaxy evolution and the history of the universe.”
Survey results It will be displayed in the journal Natural Astronomy.
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C. Marconcini et al. Evidence of rapid acceleration of AGN-driven winds at the Kiloparsec scale. Nut Athlonreleased on March 31, 2025. doi:10.1038/s41550-025-02518-6
Black hole is a spots in the universe that cannot be escaped by light because the gravity is very strong. One of the black holes that confuses astronomers is how large they are. Researchers explain one category of black holes over 100,000 to 10,000,000,000,000,000 times, like the sun. Super Massive Black Hall。 These black holes are very large, so Whole galaxy! It generally exists in the center of the galaxy, including ourselves milky wayOur thing is a modest 4,000,000 sun. Scientists are wondering if the universe, which was formed only in the universe, has grown very much. 13.7 billion years ago Big bang.
Gas and dust falling in the black hole, Light flashing attachedIt also occurs slowly to explain the growth of the ultra -high MASSIVE black hole. For example, our Galaxy's super huge black hole grows with just one sun. 3,000 years。 However, assuming that the black hole grows at a constant speed, the huge hole has had to increase the mass of the sun more than the value of the sun every year since the Big Bang.
To solve this problem, astronomers theorize how Black Hall was born in the early universe. Super Massive Black Hall requires a good start compared to the conventional black hole cousin. There is a sun from 10S to 100 years。 Thus, astronomers assume that many black holes and many 100,000 solar sun must have been formed early in the universe. They call these early black holes seed。 Roughly speaking, astronomers propose two potential origin, a black hole species. Giant clouds of dust It collapses directly into the black hole Population III star explosion.
Columbia University's astronomers have recently explored how the seeds have grown to grow to today's size, and how they have appeared in a very large black hole. The first step of the astronomer was to find an appropriate formula to calculate the initial quantity of black holes. Researchers have indicated that black hole growth is almost completely exponential. Therefore, this astronomer began with a modified index growth ceremony, like the calculation. Compound interest。 He took this type of derivative and determined how fast the black hole grew. Astronomers have assumed that all super -large black holes formed between the Big Bangs between 100 and 200 million years will be formed.
Astronomers selected 132,539 ultra -large black holes with sufficiently measured mass, and calculated the characteristics of seeds using his new formula. He discovered that 54 % of the seeds could be less than 350 times the mass of the sun, and could occur from the explosion of the individual group III stars. Another 40 % was 350-2,000 times the mass of the sun, and only 2,000 to 30,000 times the mass of the sun was about 6 %. He suggested that the latter two categories could cause small seeds that fuse immediately after being formed. He pointed out that these results did not directly exclude the collapse of the dust in black holes, indicating that there was no need to explain the ultra -large black hole we are looking at today. I mentioned.
Astronomers suggested that these ultra -large black holes have accumulated most of their mass in the first 1.5 billion years of the universe. 。 He explained that the universe was very dense at the time. Later, the galaxies were approaching each other, so a large amount of materials could fall into the black hole. He concludes that the ultra -large black hole is ultimately the relic of the primitive universe, and has been in a very different way than today's organic stars, dust clouds, and galaxies. I did it.
In 2018, astronomers discovered that the corona of 1ES 1927+654, an actively accreting black hole with 1.4 million solar masses located in a galaxy some 270 million light-years away, suddenly disappeared and reassembled several months later. I observed that. The short but dramatic outage was the first of its kind in black hole astronomy. Now, astronomers using ESA's XMM-Newton Observatory have captured the same black hole exhibiting even more unprecedented behavior. They detected X-ray flashes from 1ES 1927+654 at a steadily increasing clip. Over a two-year period, the frequency of millihertz vibration flashes increased from every 18 minutes to every 7 minutes. This dramatic speed-up of X-rays has never been observed from a black hole before.
In this artist's concept, material is stripped from a white dwarf (bottom right sphere) orbiting within the innermost accretion disk surrounding the supermassive black hole of 1ES 1927+654. Image credit: NASA/Aurore Simonnet, Sonoma State University.
Black holes are a prediction of Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. They are gravitational monsters that trap any matter or energy that crosses their “surface,” a region of spacetime known as the event horizon.
In its final descent into the black hole, a process known as accretion, the doomed material forms a disk around the black hole. The gas in the accretion disk heats up and emits primarily ultraviolet (UV) light.
The ultraviolet light interacts with the cloud of electrically charged gas or plasma that surrounds the black hole and accretion disk. This cloud is known as the corona, and the interaction energizes the ultraviolet light and amplifies it into X-rays, which can be captured by XMM Newton.
XMM-Newton has been observing 1ES 1927+654 since 2011. Back then, everything was very normal.
But things changed in 2018. As the X-ray corona disappeared, the black hole erupted in a massive explosion that seemed to disrupt its surroundings.
The coronavirus gradually returned, and by early 2021, it seemed like normal conditions had returned.
However, in July 2022, XMM Newton began observing its X-ray output fluctuating at a level of about 10% on timescales of 400 to 1,000 seconds.
This type of fluctuation, called quasi-periodic oscillations (QPO), is notoriously difficult to detect in supermassive black holes.
“This was the first sign that something strange was going on,” said Dr. Megan Masterson. Student at MIT.
The oscillations could suggest that a massive object, such as a star, is embedded in the accretion disk and rapidly orbiting the black hole on its way to being swallowed.
As an object approaches a black hole, the time it takes to orbit decreases and the frequency of its oscillations increases.
Calculations revealed that the orbiting object was probably the remains of a star known as a white dwarf, had about 0.1 times the mass of the Sun, and was moving at an astonishing speed.
It was completing one orbit of the central monster, covering a distance of about 100 million km, about every 18 minutes. Then things got even weirder.
Over nearly two years, XMM Newton showed an increase in the strength and frequency of the vibrations, but not as much as the researchers expected.
They assumed that an object's orbital energy is being emitted as gravitational waves, as prescribed by the theory of general relativity.
To test this idea, they calculated when the object crossed the event horizon, disappeared from view, and stopped oscillating. It turns out to be January 4, 2024.
“Never in my career have I been able to predict anything so accurately,” says Dr. Erin Kara of MIT.
In March 2024, XMM Newton observed it again and the oscillations were still present.
The object was currently traveling at about half the speed of light, completing an orbit every seven minutes.
Whatever was inside the accretion disk, it stubbornly refused to be swallowed up by the black hole.
Either something more than gravitational waves is at play, or the entire hypothesis needs to be changed.
Astronomers also considered other possibilities for the origin of the vibrations.
Remembering that the X-ray corona disappeared in 2018, they wondered if this cloud itself was vibrating.
The problem is that there is no established theory to explain such behavior, so there is no clear path to take this idea further, so they go back to the original model and realize there is a way to fix it. I did.
“If the black hole has a white dwarf companion, the gravitational waves produced by the black hole could be detected by LISA, an ESA mission scheduled to launch within the next 10 years in partnership with NASA.” said Masterson.
Using data from ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the Keck Telescope, astronomers detected a binary star system in the S star cluster near Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. I discovered it. This is the first time that a binary star has been discovered near a supermassive black hole.
This image shows the location of binary star D9 orbiting Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. Image credit: ESO / Peißker et al. / S. Guizard.
Sagittarius A* is orbited by fast stars and dusty objects collectively known as the S cluster.
Binary star systems (two stars gravitationally bound to each other around a common center of mass) are predicted to exist within the S cluster, but have not been detected so far.
Previous studies have suggested that such stars are unlikely to be stabilized by their interactions with Sagittarius A*.
“Black holes are not as destructive as we think,” says Florian Peisker, an astronomer at the University of Cologne.
“Our findings show that some binaries can temporarily thrive even under disruptive conditions.”
The newly discovered binary star, named D9, is estimated to be just 2.7 million years old.
Due to the strong gravity of the nearby black hole, it will probably merge into a single star within just a million years, a very short time for such a young system.
“This only provides a short window on the cosmic timescale for observing such binary star systems, but we succeeded,” said Dr. Emma Bordier, also from the University of Cologne. Ta.
“The D9 system shows clear signs of gas and dust surrounding the star, suggesting it may be a very young system that must have formed near a supermassive black hole. ” said Dr. Michal Zajacek. Astronomer at Masaryk University and the University of Cologne.
The most mysterious of the S clusters are the G objects, which behave like stars but look like clouds of gas and dust.
It was while observing these mysterious objects that the research team discovered a surprising pattern in D9.
“This result sheds new light on what the mysterious G-objects are,” the authors said.
“They may actually be a combination of binaries that have not yet merged and leftover material from stars that have already merged.”
“Planets often form around young stars, so this discovery allows us to speculate about their existence,” Dr. Pisker said.
“It seems like it’s only a matter of time before planets are detected at the center of the galaxy.”
a paper This discovery was published in today’s magazine nature communications.
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F. Peisker others. 2024. A binary star system in the S star cluster near the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*. Nat Commune 15, 10608; doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-54748-3
Messier 77 is a relatively nearby and well-known bright spiral galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its center.
Messier 77 concept by artist. It is characterized by its powerful black hole and accretion disk, as well as the polarized light of water masers located outside the Milky Way. Image credit: NSF / AUI / NRAO / S. Dagnello.
Messier 77 is a barred spiral galaxy located 62 million light-years away in the constellation Cetus.
Also known as NGC 1068, LEDA 10266, and Cetus A, it has an apparent magnitude of 9.6.
Messier 77 was discovered in 1780 by French astronomer Pierre Méchain, who initially identified it as a nebula. Méchain then relayed this discovery to his colleague, the French astronomer Charles Messier.
Messier believed that the extremely bright objects he saw were clusters of stars, but as technology advanced, their true status as a galaxy was recognized.
At 100,000 light-years in diameter, Messier 77 is one of the largest galaxies in the Messier catalog, and its gravity is enough to twist and distort other galaxies nearby.
It is also one of the closest galaxies to active galactic nuclei (AGNs).
These active galaxies are among the brightest objects in the universe, emitting light in many if not all wavelengths, from gamma rays and X-rays to microwaves and radio waves.
But Messier 77's accretion disk is hidden by a thick cloud of dust and gas, despite being a popular target for astronomers.
Several light-years in diameter, the outer accretion disk is dotted with hundreds of different water maser sources that have been hinting at deeper structures for decades.
Masers are clear beacons of electromagnetic radiation that shine at microwave or radio wavelengths. In radio astronomy, water masers, observed at a frequency of 22 GHz, are particularly useful because they can shine through many of the dusts and gases that block the wavelengths of light.
Bucknell University astronomer Jack Gallimore and his colleagues began observing Messier 77 with two goals in mind: astronomical mapping of the galaxy's radio continuum and measuring the polarization of water masers.
“Messier 77 is a bit of a VIP among active galaxies,” says Dr. CM Violette Impellizzeri, an astronomer at the Leiden Observatory.
“There's an accretion disk right next to the black hole, and it's unusually powerful. And because it's so close, it's been studied in great detail.”
But the study authors looked at Messier 77 in an entirely new way.
Their observations were recently upgraded High sensitivity array (HSA) consists of the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, the Very Long Baseline Array, and NSF's NRAO telescope at the Green Bank Telescope.
By measuring the water maser's polarization and the continuous radio emission from Messier 77, they reveal the compact radio source, now known as NGC 1068*, and the mysterious extended structure of the fainter emission. I created a map to
Mapping the astronomical distribution of galaxies and their water masers reveals that they are spread along structural filaments.
“These new observations reveal that the maser spot filaments are actually arranged like beads on a string,” Dr. Gallimore said.
“We were stunned to see that there was an apparent offset, or displacement angle, between the radio continuum, which describes the structure of the galaxy's core, and the position of the maser itself.”
“The configuration is unstable, so we're probably looking at a magnetically ejected source.”
Measuring the polarization of these water masers with HSA revealed significant evidence of a magnetic field.
“No one has ever seen polarization in water masers outside of our galaxy,” Dr. Gallimore said.
“Similar to the loop structures seen as prominences on the Sun's surface, the polarization patterns of these water masers clearly indicate that there is also a magnetic field at the root of these light-year-scale structures.”
“Looking at the filaments and making sure the polarization vector is perpendicular to the filaments is key to confirming that they are magnetically driven structures. It's exactly what you expected. It’s a thing.”
Previous studies of the region have suggested patterns, usually related to magnetic fields, but such conclusions were until recently beyond the scope of observational techniques.
The discovery reveals evidence for a compact central radio source (the galaxy's supermassive black hole), distinct polarization of water masers indicating structure within Messier 77's magnetic field, and spectacular extended signatures across the radio frequency continuum. It became.
Taken together, these findings indicate that magnetic fields are the underlying driving force for these phenomena.
However, many mysteries remain. For example, within the radio continuum map there is a diffuse, faint protrusion that the team has dubbed the foxtail foxtail, extending northward from the central region.
“When we set out on this, we said to ourselves, 'Let's really push the limits and see if we can get good continuum and polarization data,' and those goals were both It was a success,” Dr. Gallimore said.
“Using the NSF NRAO High Sensitivity Array, we detected the polarization of a water megamaser for the first time. We also created a very surprising continuum map, which we are still trying to understand.”
a paper The results will be explained today. Astrophysics Journal Letter.
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Jack F. Gallimore others. 2024. Discovery of polarized water vapor megamaser emission in molecular accretion disks. APJL 975, L9; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad864f
The 7.2 million solar mass black hole, named LID-568, appears to be feeding on matter 40 times faster than the Eddington limit and is thought to have existed just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang.
An artist's impression of the accreting black hole LID-568 in the early universe. Image credit: NOIRLab / NSF / AURA / J. da Silva / M. Zamani.
eddington limit The maximum brightness a black hole can achieve is related to the rate at which a black hole can absorb matter, such that the inward gravitational force is balanced with the outward pressure generated from the heat of the compressed and falling matter. I will.
LID-568 appears to be feeding on matter at a rate 40 times faster than the Eddington limit.
This accreting black hole was detected by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope in a sample of galaxies from the COSMOS Legacy Survey of Chandra.
This galaxy population is very bright in the X-ray part of the spectrum, but invisible in the optical and near-infrared.
Webb's unique infrared sensitivity allows it to detect these weak corresponding emissions.
LID-568 stood out in the sample for its strong X-ray emissions, but its exact location could not be determined using X-ray observations alone.
So instead of using traditional slit spectroscopy, Webb's measurement support scientists suggested that the study authors use an integral field spectrometer. Web's NIRSpec (near infrared spectrometer) equipment.
“Due to its faint nature, detection of LID-568 would be impossible without Webb,” said Dr. Emanuele Farina, an astronomer at the International Gemini Observatory and NSF's NOIRLab.
“The use of an integral field spectrometer was innovative and necessary to obtain the observations.”
“This black hole is having a party,” said Dr. Julia Schallwechter, also of the International Gemini Observatory and NSF's NOIRLab.
“This extreme case shows that a fast-feeding mechanism that exceeds the Eddington limit is one possible explanation for why we see these extremely massive black holes in the early universe.”
These results provide new insights into the formation of supermassive black holes from smaller black hole “seeds.” Until now, theories have lacked observational support.
“The discovery of super-Eddington accretion black holes suggests that, regardless of the black hole's origin as a light or heavy seed, a significant portion of the mass growth can occur during a single episode of rapid feeding. “This suggests something,” said Dr. Hyewon Seo. Also provided by the International Gemini Observatory and NSF's NOIRLab.
“The discovery of LID-568 also shows that black holes can exceed the Eddington limit, giving astronomers the first opportunity to study how this happens,” the astronomers said. .
“The strong outflow observed on LID-568 may act as a release valve for excess energy generated by extreme accretion, preventing the system from becoming too unstable.”
“The team plans a follow-up study with Mr. Webb to further investigate the mechanisms involved.”
Their result Published in today's diary natural astronomy.
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Sue H others. A super-Eddington accretion black hole observed by JWST about 1.5 Gyr after the Big Bang. Nat Astronpublished online on November 4, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41550-024-02402-9
This article is based on a press release provided by NSF's NOIRLab.
Astrophysicists from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration have conducted test observations that achieve the highest resolution ever obtained from Earth’s surface by detecting light emanating from the center of a distant galaxy at a frequency of about 345 GHz. When combined with existing images of the supermassive black hole at the center of Messier 87 and the Milky Way galaxy at a lower frequency of 230 GHz, these new results not only produce a 50% sharper picture of the black hole, but also a multi-color image of the region just outside the boundaries of these cosmic monsters.
This artist’s impression shows the locations of radio observatories on Earth that took part in the EHT Collaboration’s pilot experiment to produce the highest-resolution observations from the ground. Image courtesy of ESO/M. Kornmesser.
In 2019, the EHT Collaboration released images of M87*, the supermassive black hole at the center of Messier 87, and in 2022, they released images of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.
These images were obtained by linking multiple radio observatories around Earth, using a technique called Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), to form a single “Earth-sized” virtual telescope.
To get higher resolution images, astronomers typically resort to larger telescopes, or greater distances between observatories acting as part of an interferometer.
But because the EHT was already the same size as Earth, a different approach was needed to increase the resolution of ground-based observations.
Another way to increase a telescope’s resolution is to observe shorter wavelengths of light, and that’s exactly what the EHT Collaboration is currently doing.
“The EHT has seen the first image of a black hole at 1.3 millimeter wavelengths, but the bright ring created by the black hole’s gravity bending light still appears blurry because we’ve reached the absolute limit of how sharp an image we can make,” said Dr Alexander Raymond, an astronomer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
“At 0.87mm, the images will be clearer and more detailed, which may reveal new properties, some previously predicted, but also some perhaps not.”
To demonstrate detection at 0.87 mm, EHT researchers carried out test observations of distant, bright galaxies at this wavelength.
Rather than using the entire EHT array, they used two smaller subarrays, including ALMA and the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX).
Other facilities that will be used include the IRAM Thirty Meter Telescope in Spain, the Northern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA) in France, and the Greenland Telescope and Submillimeter Array in Hawaii.
In this pilot experiment, scientists achieved measurements down to 19 microarcseconds, the highest resolution ever achieved from the Earth’s surface.
But it hasn’t yet been able to capture an image: Though it has robustly detected light from some distant galaxies, it hasn’t used enough antennas to be able to accurately reconstruct an image from the data.
This technical test opens up new avenues for studying black holes.
With the full array, the EHT can see details as small as 13 microarcseconds, the equivalent of seeing a bottle cap on the Moon from Earth.
This means that at 0.87mm we can obtain images with approximately 50% higher resolution than the previously published M87* and Sagittarius A* 1.3mm images.
What’s more, it may be possible to observe a black hole that is more distant, smaller and fainter than the two black holes imaged so far.
“Observing changes in the surrounding gas at different wavelengths will help us solve the mysteries of how black holes attract and accrete matter, and how they can launch powerful jets that travel across the Milky Way galaxy,” said Dr Shepard Doleman, EHT founding director and astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
This is the first time that VLBI technology has been used successfully at a wavelength of 0.87 mm.
“The detection of a VLBI signal at 0.87 mm is groundbreaking as it opens a new observational window into the study of supermassive black holes,” said Dr Thomas Krichbaum, astrophysicist at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy.
“In the future, the Spanish and French IRAM telescopes in combination with ALMA and APEX will allow us to image smaller and fainter radiation simultaneously at two wavelengths, 1.3 mm and 0.87 mm, which was previously possible.”
Just like a runner hitting the wall at the end of a race, supermassive black holes face a similar challenge as they approach each other, coming to a virtual standstill in the final parsec.
Recent research indicates that dark matter could be the key to overcoming this last obstacle.
This is because researchers have identified a crucial behavior of dark matter that has been previously overlooked – its ability to interact with itself.
“The assumption of dark matter particles interacting is an additional component not present in all dark matter models,” explained the co-authors of the study. Dr. Gonzalo Alonso Alvarez. “Our argument is that only a model with these features can address the final parsec problem.”
What is the final parsec problem?
The final parsec problem refers to the challenge that slows down the black holes before they merge.
This discovery follows a previous study that detected gravitational waves resulting from the merging of supermassive black holes, each a billion times the mass of the sun.
In the new study published in Physics Review Letter, researchers found that the black holes came to a halt at just one parsec away from each other.
The question remains: if black holes cannot merge, how are gravitational waves produced?
The answer may lie in a better understanding of dark matter behavior, which may facilitate the merger of supermassive black holes over the final parsec.
When two galaxies collide, their supermassive black holes begin to orbit each other. Gravity slows them down, bringing them close to merging before their orbits shrink too much to support the final collapse. Interaction with a halo of dark matter then absorbs the remaining orbital energy, allowing the black holes to eventually merge.
This new model is supported by the Pulsar Timing Array, which detects gravitational waves originating from supermassive black hole mergers predicted by Alonso Alvarez and his team.
“Our study offers a new perspective on understanding the nature of dark matter particles,” said Alonso-Alvarez. “Observations of supermassive black hole mergers can provide insights into these particles.”
Using data from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) and other telescopes, astronomers have found evidence of an intermediate-mass black hole. IRS 13a dusty group of stars within the nuclear cluster of our Milky Way galaxy.
Intermediate-mass black holes can form in dense star clusters, either through the merger of stellar-mass black holes or the collapse of very massive stars. Image credit: Sci.News/Zdeněk Bardon/ESO.
Black holes are found in a wide range of masses, from stellar-mass objects with masses of 10 to 100 times that of the Sun, to objects at the centers of galaxies with masses over 100,000 times that of the Sun.
However, there are only a few intermediate-mass black hole candidates between 100 and 100,000 times the mass of the Sun.
“The IRS 13 cluster is located 0.1 light-years away from the centre of our galaxy,” said Dr Florian Peisker from the University of Cologne and his colleagues.
“I noticed that the stars in IRS 13 were moving in an unexpectedly orderly pattern.”
“They actually expected the stars to be randomly positioned.”
“Two conclusions can be drawn from this regular pattern,” they added.
“Meanwhile, IRS 13 appears to be interacting with Sagittarius A*, a black hole at the centre of the Milky Way that is four million times more massive than the Sun, which leads to the orderly motion of stars.”
“However, something else needs to be present inside the cluster to maintain the observed compact shape.”
Using data from the VLT, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), and NASA's Chandra X-ray Telescope, astronomers have found strong evidence that IRS 13 has a disk-like structure.
“Multi-wavelength observations suggest that the reason for IRS 13's compact shape could be an intermediate-mass black hole located at the center of the cluster,” the researchers said.
“We were able to observe characteristic x-rays and ionized gas rotating at hundreds of kilometers per second in the disk surrounding the suspected intermediate-mass black hole.”
“Another indication of the presence of an intermediate-mass black hole is the unusually high density of this cluster, which is higher than the density of any other cluster in our Milky Way galaxy.”
“IRS 13 appears to be an essential component in the growth of the central black hole, Sagittarius A*,” Dr Peisker said.
“This fascinating star cluster has continued to astonish the scientific community since its discovery almost 20 years ago. It was initially thought to be an unusually massive group of stars, but high-resolution data have now allowed us to confirm its component parts, with an intermediate-mass black hole at its center.”
Proposed underground geometry of the Mare Tranquillitatis on the Moon
Wagner and Robinson
A network of caves may be hidden just beneath the Moon's surface, and researchers may have finally discovered an access point. These caves have long been predicted, but until now it has been difficult to prove their existence or find a way to directly explore them with future missions.
The Moon's surface is dotted with holes, or so-called skylights, which are openings in the ceilings of caves that are thought to have been formed by the collapse of ancient lava tubes – tunnels formed when lava flows beneath the solid crust. Leonardo Carrell Researchers from the University of Trento in Italy have discovered that the deepest part of these formations, the “The Pit of the Sea of TranquilityThese images were taken by NASA's Lunar Rover in 2010.
By comparing their simulations with lava tubes on Earth, the researchers found that the Mare Tranquillitatis hole appears to open into a large cavern buried at least 400 feet (130 meters) underground. The cave appears to be about 150 feet (45 meters) wide and at least 100 feet (30 meters) long, but could be much larger.
Caves like these could offer a unique window into the evolution of the Moon, says Carell. “Analyzing rocks from lunar caves, which have not been altered by the harsh lunar environment, could provide important insights into key scientific questions, such as the timeline and duration of volcanic activity on the Moon and the actual composition of the Moon's mantle,” Carell says.
The same stone ceiling that protects the cave rocks from the intense radiation experienced on the surface could also provide valuable shielding for future human explorers on the Moon. “Unlike the surface of the Moon, where temperatures change dramatically between day and night, [the caves] “It has a stable internal temperature, and it's also a natural shield against radiation and impacts,” Carrell says.
The idea of using natural caves like these as lunar base camps has long been popular, and future astronauts may one day call the Sea of Tranquility home.
One of the most astonishing scientific discoveries of the past decade is the abundance of black holes in the universe.
These black holes come in a range of sizes, from slightly larger than the Sun to billions of times more massive. They are detected through various methods, such as radio emissions from material falling into them, their impact on orbiting stars, gravitational waves from black hole mergers, and the unique distortions of light they create, like the “Einstein rings” seen in images of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.
Our universe is not flat but filled with holes like a sieve. The physical characteristics of black holes are accurately described by Einstein’s theory of general relativity.
Although Einstein’s theory aligns well with our current knowledge of black holes, it fails to address two crucial questions. First, what happens to matter once it crosses the event horizon of a black hole? Second, how does a black hole eventually disappear? Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking proposed that, over time, black holes shrink through a process called Hawking radiation, emitting high-temperature radiation until they become very small.
These unanswered questions are related to quantum aspects of space-time, specifically quantum gravity, for which we lack a comprehensive theory.
An attempt at an answer
Despite these challenges, there are evolving tentative theories that offer some insights into these mysteries. While these theories require further experimental support, they provide possible explanations for the fate of black holes.
One prominent theory in this realm is loop quantum gravity (LQG), a promising approach to understanding quantum space-time developed since the late 1980s. LQG proposes a novel scenario where black holes transition into white holes, where the interior evolves under quantum effects, causing a reversal of its collapse.
White holes, the hypothetical opposites of black holes, may hold the key to understanding the fate of evaporating black holes. These structures could potentially explain the enigmatic nature of dark matter, offering a compelling link between well-established principles of general relativity and quantum mechanics.
Same idea but in reverse
While the direct detection of white holes remains challenging due to their weak gravitational interactions, technological advancements may enable future observations. If dark matter indeed comprises remnants of evaporating black holes in the form of white holes, this hypothesis could shed light on the elusive nature of dark matter.
By reevaluating long-held assumptions about black holes and incorporating quantum gravity phenomena, we may uncover a more nuanced understanding of these cosmic phenomena. The evolving field of quantum gravity offers a fresh perspective on the dynamics of black holes and the potential existence of white holes as remnants of their evaporation.
Next steps
Exploring the implications of white holes and their possible role in dark matter formation requires further research and technological advancements. As we continue to refine our understanding of black holes and quantum gravity, we may unlock new insights into the fundamental nature of our universe.
Using more than 500 images from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have found evidence of a 20,000-solar-mass black hole at the center of Earth. Omega CentauriIt is a globular cluster located in the constellation Centaurus, 5,430 parsecs (17,710 light years) from the Sun.
Omega Centauri is about 10 times more massive than other large globular clusters. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / Maximilian Häberle, MPIA.
Astronomers know that stellar-mass black holes (black holes with masses between 10 and 100 times that of the Sun) are the remnants of dying stars, and that supermassive black holes, with masses more than a million times that of the Sun, exist at the center of most galaxies.
But the universe is littered with what appear to be more mysterious types of black holes.
These intermediate-mass black holes, with masses between 100 and 10,000 times that of the Sun, are so difficult to measure that their very existence is sometimes debated.
Only a few intermediate-mass black hole candidates have been discovered so far.
Determining the black hole population is an important step towards understanding the formation of supermassive black holes in the early universe.
“Omega Centauri is a special example among globular clusters in the Milky Way,” said astronomer Maximilian Höberle of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy and his colleagues.
“Omega Centauri is widely accepted to be the stripped core of an accreted dwarf galaxy due to its high mass, complex stellar population and kinematics.”
“These factors, combined with its proximity, make the planet a prime target in the search for intermediate-mass black holes.”
Omega Centauri is made up of about 10 million stars, making it about 10 times more massive than any other large globular cluster.
In the study, the authors measured the velocities of 1.4 million stars from images of the cluster taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.
Although most of these observations were intended for calibration of Hubble's instruments rather than for scientific use, they proved to be an ideal database for the team's research activities.
“We looked for fast-moving stars that are expected to be near concentrated masses such as black holes,” said astronomer Holger Baumgart of the University of Queensland.
“Identifying these stars was the smoking gun we needed to prove the existence of black holes, and we've done just that.”
“We found seven stars that shouldn't be there,” Dr Hebel said.
“They're moving so fast that they're likely to escape the herd and never come back.”
“The most likely explanation is that a very massive object is gravitationally tugging on these stars, keeping them near the center.”
“The only objects this massive are black holes, which have a mass at least 8,200 times that of the Sun.”
“This discovery is the most direct evidence to date for the presence of an intermediate-mass black hole at Omega Centauri,” said Dr Nadine Neumayer, an astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy.
“This is extremely exciting because very few other black holes with similar masses are known.”
“The black hole at Omega Centauri may be the best example of an intermediate-mass black hole in our cosmic neighborhood.”
M. Heberle others2024. Stars moving at high speed around the intermediate-mass black hole at Omega Centauri. Nature 631, 285-288; Source: 10.1038/s41586-024-07511-z
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