When you buy through links in our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A three-colour image of the galaxy ESO 428-G14, captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. | Credit: NASA/ESA/JWST Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have imaged the structure of dust and gas around a distant supermassive … Read more
NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory is one of NASA’s most scientifically productive space missions. The telescope has been in space for 25 years, discovering black holes and dark matter. Chandra’s best images show how the telescope reveals details that other telescopes cannot see. NASA has been using X-rays to unravel the invisible secrets of the universe … Read more
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have observed the dramatic “dance” between a supermassive black hole and two satellite galaxies. The observations could help scientists better understand how galaxies and supermassive black holes grew in the early universe. This particular supermassive black hole is feeding on surrounding matter, powering a bright quasar that … Read more
Quasars, the brightest objects in the universe, could act as cosmic signposts, directing astronomers to elusive pairs of supermassive black holes. Although scientists are aware that supermassive black holes with masses millions or even billions of times that of the sun reside at the hearts of most, if not all, large galaxies, binary pairs of … Read more
Forget the “little green men” — it’s the “little red dots” in the early universe that caught the attention of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The strange red bodies, scientists say, hide stars that models suggest are “too old” to have existed in early cosmic times and black holes thousands of times more massive … Read more
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have discovered a supermassive black hole at “cosmic dawn” that appears impossibly massive. The confusion stems from the fact that it doesn’t appear that this gigantic void was feasting on much surrounding matter at the time – but to reach its immense size you would expect it … Read more
Editor’s Note: A version of this story appeared in CNN’s science newsletter Wonder Theory. To receive it in your inbox, Register for free here. About 67 million years ago, two dinosaurs faced off in a confrontation in what is now Montana before being buried together in a single grave. It is unclear which dinosaur won … Read more
The history of the black hearts of galaxies is almost completely told for the first time, when astronomers combined X-ray observations with detailed supercomputer models to record the growth of galaxies. supermassive black holes more than 12 billion years of cosmic history. The scientists have shown that the black hole forms the core of our … Read more
Astronomers have spotted bursts and echoes coming from the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*). These ‘cosmic fireworks’ and X-ray echoes could help scientists better understand the dark and silent cosmic titan that our Milky Way orbits. The team of researchers from Michigan State University made the … Read more
The ‘wobbly’ remains of a star that died a gruesome death in the maw of a supermassive black hole have helped reveal the speed at which its cosmic predator spins. Supermassive black holes are believed to form from successive mergers of smaller black holes, each of which brings with it an angular momentum that accelerates … Read more