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Black Holes

A black hole is a location in space that possesses so much gravity, nothing can escape its pull, even light. Learn more about what black holes are and the latest news.

Related Topics: Dark Matter, The Big Bang Theory, Gravitational Waves, The Theory of Relativity in Space 

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An artist's depiction of a black hole and a neutron star merging.

Scientists catch 1st glimpse of a black hole swallowing a neutron star

By Meghan Bartels

After more than four years of exploring a menagerie of cosmic happenings through gravitational waves, scientists have finally spotted the third expected variety of collision — twice.

The gravitational waves emitted by two black holes as they spiral into each other, shown in a simulation.

Famous Stephen Hawking theory about black holes confirmed

By Ben Turner

Physicists analyzed data from the first ever gravitational waves detected to prove Hawking's theory, and think that even more could be discovered from studying the ripples in space-time.

Artist’s illustration of a galactic wind driven by a supermassive black hole located in the center of a galaxy. The intense energy emanating from the black hole creates a huge flow of gas that blows away the interstellar matter that is the material for forming stars.

Record breaker: Scientists spot earliest known supermassive black hole 'storm'

By Mike Wall

Scientists have found the earliest known "storm" generated by a supermassive black hole, a discovery that could shed considerable light on the coevolution of galaxies and their central black holes.

A still photo from a new simulation shows the inner accretion disk of a supermassive black hole glowing with X-rays.

Watch two monster black holes merge into one in this intricate NASA simulation (video)

By Meghan Bartels

Astrophysicists dream of one day truly seeing a black hole merger, rather than merely painting its portrait based on how it affects surrounding matter.

Drawing of a black hole.

Where do black holes lead?

By David Crookes

If you could journey through the cosmos' most monstrous objects, what tales — if any — would you be able to tell?

A black hole tears down a star, leaving a long string of star material, which then wraps itself around the black hole.

'Spaghettified' star wrapped around a black hole spotted for the first time

By Tereza Pultarova

Astronomers observe as a giant black hole sucks in a spaghettified star.

Artist's illustration of the tiny black hole candidate known as "The Unicorn" tugging on its companion, a red giant star.

Tiny newfound 'Unicorn' is closest known black hole to Earth

By Mike Wall

Astronomers have apparently found the closest known black hole to Earth — a weirdly tiny object dubbed "The Unicorn" that lurks just 1,500 light-years from us.

Theoretical physicist and science popularizer Brian Greene presenting at the World Science Festival.

Black holes, string theory and more: Q&A with physicist Brian Greene

By Mike Wall

Space.com caught up with Greene to discuss the importance of science education, why black holes are so interesting and whether a "theory of everything" breakthrough could be on the horizon.

A new animation visualizes the effects of two black holes orbiting each other. In this view, a supermassive black hole weighing 200 million times the mass of the sun lies in the foreground and its gravity distorts light from the accretion disk of a smaller companion black hole almost directly behind it.

Watch monster black holes dance in this mesmerizing NASA animation

By Samantha Mathewson

A stunning new animation from NASA shows the entrancing dance of two monster black holes in orbit around each other.

The region around the supermassive black hole at the center of the M87 galaxy, as seen in radio, visible and X-ray wavelengths by the ALMA telescope array and NASA’s Hubble and Chandra space telescopes, respectively.

Scientists get more great looks at the 1st black hole ever photographed

By Mike Wall

The supermassive black hole at the heart of the galaxy M87 is coming into sharper and sharper focus.

artists impression of hubble double quasar

Hubble telescope finds rare double quasars in ancient galactic collisions

By Daisy Dobrijevic

NASA's long-serving Hubble Space Telescope is seeing double after detecting two rare pairs of quasars nestled within galactic collisions that occurred 10 billion years ago.

a black hole

Dark matter could be made of black holes from the beginning of time

By Tom Metcalfe

Evidence of collisions between black holes and neutron stars suggests dark matter might consist of concentrations of primordial black holes.

gravitational waves black hole

A tiny crystal device could boost gravitational wave detectors to reveal the birth cries of black holes

By David Blair

In 2017, astronomers witnessed the birth of a black hole for the first time.

This artistic impression illustrates a new black hole that was discovered through gravitational lensing using light from an ancient cosmic explosion.

Explosion from the early universe illuminates secret black hole

By Chelsea Gohd

Light coming from an explosion in the early universe has illuminated a black hole that astronomers think could expand their understanding of how the celestial objects form.

Andrea Ghez

Seeing the invisible: How Nobel laureate Andrea Ghez found the supermassive black hole in the Milky Way's center

By Meghan Bartels

Astrophysicist Andrea Ghez has spent her scientific career peering at the center of the Milky Way, trying to see the invisible.

Following the release of the first image of a black hole in 2019, astronomers have captured a new polarized view of the black hole.

First image of a black hole gets a polarizing update that sheds light on magnetic fields

By Chelsea Gohd

Galaxy J0437+2456 is thought to be home to a supermassive, moving black hole.

A supermassive black hole is speeding through space, and astronomers don't know why

By Ben Turner

A supermassive black hole is racing across the universe at 110,000 mph (177,000 km/h), and the astronomers who spotted it don't know why.

Astronomers have spotted a distant jet-shooting supermasive black hole known as PJ352-15 for short.

This jet from a monster black hole is so huge it dwarfs our Milky Way galaxy

By Elizabeth Howell

A space telescope might have spotted one of the most distant supermassive black holes spurting an X-ray jet.

Artist's illustration of Planet Nine, a world about 10 times more massive than Earth that may lie undiscovered in the far outer solar system.

What if Planet Nine is a baby black hole?

By Paul Sutter

The hypothetical Planet Nine may not be a planet but rather a small black hole that might be detectable from the theoretical radiation emitted from its edge, so-called Hawking radiation.

An artistic visualization of the quasar P172+18.

Scientists find most distant quasar shooting powerful radio jets

By Chelsea Gohd

A newly discovered quasar from the early universe is the most distant found to date that's shooting out powerful radio jets.