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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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Artist's conception of a wormhole.

Are some black holes wormholes in disguise? Gamma-ray blasts may shed clues.

By Charles Q. Choi

Unusual flashes of gamma rays could reveal that what appear to be giant black holes are actually huge wormholes, a new study finds.

The Event Horizon Telescope, a planet-scale array of ground-based radio telescopes forged through international collaboration, captured this landmark image of the supermassive black hole and its shadow that's in the center of the galaxy M87.

Surprise! The ring around M87 galaxy's monster black hole wobbles over time.

By Mike Wall

The first black hole to be imaged directly is giving up even more of its secrets.

An artist's impression of the supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy. Scientists suspect some monster black holes could grow to truly 'stupendous' sizes.

'Stupendously large' black holes could grow to truly monstrous sizes

By Charles Q. Choi

A team of scientists now suggests black holes could reach what they call "stupendously large" sizes, each harboring the mass of 100 billion suns or more.

black holes collision

The same black hole can collide with its kin multiple times, lopsided merger suggests

By Meghan Bartels

For black holes, a collision doesn't have to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, new research suggests.

gravitational waves black holes neutron stars collisions

Gravitational waves point scientists to elusive missing-link black hole

By Meghan Bartels

A new sound has joined the symphony of the universe as we hear it.

An artist's illustration of two black holes merging and creating ripples in spacetime known as gravitational waves.

Hunting for medium-sized black holes with the next generation of gravitational wave detectors

By Paul Sutter

Some patience will be needed.

An artist's representation of the microquasar SS 433 beating in unison with the gas cloud known as Fermi J1913+0515.

Mysterious gamma-ray 'heartbeat' detected from cosmic gas cloud

By Samantha Mathewson

A cosmic gas cloud has a mysterious gamma-ray "heartbeat" that appears to be in sync with a neighboring black hole.

If wormholes exist, scientists may one day spot black holes falling into them, a new study suggests.

What happens if black holes fall into wormholes? A new way to find out.

By Charles Q. Choi

Astronomers might detect black holes falling into wormholes via ripples in space and time called gravitational waves, a new study finds.

Light curves around a black hole's event horizon

Thousands of Earthlike 'blanets' might circle the Milky Way's central black hole

By Rafi Letzter

Tens of thousands of planets like Earth and Neptune might orbit the giant black hole at the center of the Milky Way.

This illustration (left) depicts a supermassive black hole shrouded by a dust and gas "cocoon." Using X-ray imagery, as depicted in the X-ray image (right), scientists have uncovered 28 supermassive black holes.

Mistaken identity? Researchers uncover true nature of monster black holes

By Chelsea Gohd

Over two dozen misidentified supermassive black holes have finally been revealed in a new, sky-scanning study.

An artist's depiction of a typical feeding black hole as a star falls prey to the massive object.The streak of debris falling toward the disk is what remains of a star that was torn apart by the black hole's gravity.

The mystery of a black hole's disappearing (and reappearing) meal may be solved

By Meghan Bartels

What does it mean when a black hole suddenly stops gobbling up gas completely — and then just as suddenly starts again, hungrier than ever?

A simulated image of two black holes colliding.

Are there any black holes left over from the Big Bang?

By Paul Sutter

What would a universe flooded with primordial black holes look like?

Artist's conception of accretion flares resulting from the encounter of an Oort-cloud comet and a hypothesized black hole in the outer solar system.

Is 'Planet Nine' actually a grapefruit-sized black hole? Big new telescope could find out

By Mike Wall

A coming sky survey will help test a wild idea — that a grapefruit-sized black hole lurks undiscovered in the outer solar system.

The NANOGrav project is attempting to detect gravitational waves via the close observation of an array of pulsars.

This new, super-accurate way to pinpoint our solar system's center may help spot monster black hole crashes

By Mike Wall

Astronomers have found a way to pinpoint our solar system's center of mass to within a mere 330 feet (100 meters), a recent study reports.

Certain discoveries made using data gathered by telescope facilities atop Maunakea, like the International Gemini Observatory, are now being given Hawaiian names to honor the site.

'The Goblin' dwarf planet and an ancient quasar receive Hawaiian names

By Meghan Bartels

Two incredibly strange celestial objects whose discoveries trace, in part, to observatories at the summit of Maunakea now carry the peak with them in official names inspired by Hawaiian culture.

An artist's depiction of two black holes merging within the disk of a supermassive black hole, later releasing a burst of light.

Scientists spot flash of light from colliding black holes. But how?

By Meghan Bartels

It's right there in the name: black holes aren't supposed to produce flashes of light. But scientists think that last year, they spotted black holes doing just that.

An artist's depiction of the heavily asymmetrical collision observed through gravitational waves.

Scientists just found the biggest neutron star (or smallest black hole) yet in a strange cosmic collision

By Meghan Bartels

Astrophysicists have spotted the strangest gravitational-wave signal yet, an observation that could force scientists to rewrite what they know about the cosmos.

Astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have caught a stellar-mass black hole hurling hot material into space at close to the speed of light.

Black hole caught spewing jets into space at nearly the speed of light (video)

By Elizabeth Howell

A black hole shooting out gassy material at nearly the speed of light has been caught on video by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory.

An artist's illustration of the massive explosion that rocked the center of the Milky Way galaxy 3.5 million years ago. Our distant hominid ancestors likely would have seen the resulting flare.

Ancient explosion in Milky Way's core lit up gas outside the galaxy

By Elizabeth Howell

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is further probing the remnants of a massive space explosion visible from Earth 3.5 million years ago.

A new visualization, made with data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and other space telescopes, allows users to experience 500 years of cosmic evolution around the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

Visit the Milky Way's supermassive black hole with 'Galactic Center VR' visualization (video)

By Elizabeth Howell

A new virtual reality experience lets you fly closely, but safely, towards the supermassive black hole embedded in the heart of our galaxy, the Milky Way.