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 image of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, a behemoth dubbed Sagittarius A*, revealed by the Event Horizon Telescope on May 12, 2022.

Yes, the new photo of the Milky Way's monster black hole looks fuzzy. Here's why it isn't.

By Elizabeth Howell published

Capturing the first-ever image of the Milky Way's black hole was no easy task.

A comparison of Event Horizon Telescope views of the black holes at the center of the galaxy M87, on the left, and of the one in the Milky Way, at right.

Milky Way vs M87: Event Horizon Telescope photos show 2 very different monster black holes

By Meghan Bartels published

Three years after the first-ever image of a black hole, scientists have done it again — this time, closer to home, and of a very different invisible behemoth.

An image of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, a behemoth dubbed Sagittarius A*, revealed by the Event Horizon Telescope on May 12, 2022.

Sagittarius A* in pictures: The 1st photo of the Milky Way's monster black hole explained in images

By Elizabeth Howell published

On May 12, 2022, scientists unveiled the first-ever image of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. Here's the discovery in pictures.

An image of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, a behemoth dubbed Sagittarius A*, revealed by the Event Horizon Telescope on May 12, 2022.

The 1st photo of the Milky Way's monster black hole has scientists over the moon. Here's why.

By Elizabeth Howell last updated

Today, scientists unveiled the first-ever photo of the supermassive black hole that lurks there, offering a completely new view of our home galaxy.

An image of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.

With the Milky Way's black hole revealed, one big mystery still remains, Nobel Prize winner says

By Tereza Pultarova last updated

Nobel Prize-winning physicist Reinhard Genzel talks to Space.com about outstanding questions about the black hole at the center of our galaxy that scientists want to answer.

An image of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, a behemoth dubbed Sagittarius A*, revealed by the Event Horizon Telescope on May 12, 2022.

Behold! This is the first photo of the Milky Way's monster black hole Sagittarius A*

By Keith Cooper last updated

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) has captured a historic first image of the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy.

This is the first-ever image of a black hole as seen by the Event Horizon Telescope.

Watch the Event Horizon Telescope's 'groundbreaking' Milky Way discovery online today

By Stefanie Waldek last updated

Science institutions around the world will stream press conferences announcing the discovery; here's your guide to tuning in.

An artist's depiction of a black hole.

Watch black holes and the stars that feed them dance in this mesmerizing NASA video

By Callum McKelvie published

A new NASA video shows some of the black holes closes to Earth, as well as the stars that feed them.

An artist's depiction of a supermassive black hole before flaring up.

Monster black hole might have executed a magnetic 'flip'

By Elizabeth Howell published

A black hole might have reversed its magnetic field right before our eyes.

An artist's illustration of a supermassive black hole. Swirling orange lines surround a central black circle.

Black holes: Everything you need to know

By Nola Taylor Tillman, Daisy Dobrijevic, Ben Biggs last updated

Reference Black holes are real, they're some of the strangest objects in space. Discover what black holes are and how they form with our informative black hole guide.

Black holes feed on surrounding gas and dust, producing bursts of bright X-ray light that bounce and echo off the infalling material.

Listen to the 'echoes' of black holes chowing down on stars

By Samantha Mathewson published

Researchers have detected eight new "echoing" black hole systems in the Milky Way, and they sound like passing through an eerie wind tunnel.

The barred spiral galaxy M1 captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.

See a behemoth black hole and spiral galaxy like only the Hubble telescope can

By Samantha Mathewson published

A monstrous black hole lies at the center of a distant galaxy photographed by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

There's a 'groundbreaking' result coming concerning the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.

'Groundbreaking' Milky Way results from telescope network behind 1st black hole image coming soon

By Elizabeth Howell published

Earth's planet-scale observatory network, best known for creating the first-ever image of a black hole, is ready to report new results about the center of our Milky Way galaxy.

A Hubble Space Telescope image of the galaxy NGC 3344; blue spots mark X-ray detections by the Chandra X-ray Observatory.

Midsize black holes spotted forming in wreckage of stars

By Keith Cooper published

The Chandra X-ray Observatory has found growing intermediate-mass black holes in over two dozen galaxies.

An artist's depiction of binary black holes.

Overlooked gravitational wave signals point to 'exotic' black hole scenarios

By Stefanie Waldek published

In a new analysis of their gravitational wave data, scientists with the international LIGO-Virgo Collaboration have discovered 10 new examples of merging binary black holes.

An artist's depiction of a dusty cosmic object from the early days of the universe.

Scientists investigate supermassive black hole ancestor from universe's 'cosmic dawn'

By Elizabeth Howell published

Scientists are studying a "cosmic dawn" object born just 750 million years after the Big Bang.

A visualization of two spiralling black holes.

Scientists reveal secrets about elusive mid-sized black holes

By Tereza Pultarova published

Scientists are uncovering how mysterious medium-sized black holes may arise from collisions of massive stars.

Black holes amid the Spiderweb galaxy (J1140-2629) shine in this image based on data from several telescopes.

'Galactic spiderweb' is dotted with feeding black holes (photo)

By Elizabeth Howell published

Scientists have spotted a cluster of rapidly growing black holes that offer a glimpse at something called "cosmic noon."

A spiral galaxy known as NGC 7172 viewed edge-on by the Hubble Space Telescope.

New Hubble photo shows galaxy's bright supermassive black hole cloaked in dust

By Samantha Mathewson published

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured a stunning new view of a galaxy with an active black hole obscured by tendrils of dark dust.

In this illustrative concept image, a black hole is sucking in all the nearby matter in space.

Spiderweb of wormholes could solve a black hole paradox 1st proposed by Stephen Hawking

By Paul Sutter published

A seemingly intractable black hole paradox first proposed by physicist Stephen Hawking could finally be resolved — by wormholes through space-time.