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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This NASA illustration depicts a solitary black hole in space, with its gravity warping the view of stars and galaxies in the background.

Rogue black hole spotted on its own for the first time

By Charles Q. Choi published

Astronomers may have for the first time detected and measured the mass of an isolated stellar-mass black hole, a new study finds.

The Haro 11 galaxy. Like Tololo 0440-381, this nearby galaxy gives off a type of radiation that scientists think resembles the characteristics of the earliest stars in the universe. Haro 11 is about 300 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor.

Powerful, nearby black holes could help to explain universe's origins

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

Nearby galaxies and their black holes could hold the answers to the existential questions that remain unanswered about the beginning of the universe.

Matter swirling into the supermassive black hole at the center of M87.

Black holes: Scientists think they've spotted the mysterious birth of one

By Daniel Perley published

Astronomers are increasingly drawing back the curtains on black holes.

An illustration of a black hole and its event horizon.

40 quintillion stellar-mass black holes are lurking in the universe, new study finds

By Ben Turner published

The researchers hope to use the estimate to figure out the mystery of how supermassive black holes came to be.

A Hubble Space Telescope image of the dwarf starburst galaxy Henize 2-10, shown in visible light.

Hubble telescope spots a black hole fostering baby stars in a dwarf galaxy

By Charles Q. Choi published

Black holes can not only rip stars apart, but they can also trigger star formation, as scientists have now seen in a nearby dwarf galaxy.

An artist's depiction of two black holes spiraling towards each other, about to collide.

Researchers detect 1st merger between black holes with eccentric orbits

By Samantha Mathewson published

Scientists have for the first time confirmed the merger of two highly eccentric black holes.

An artists conception comparing a normal supernova to a cow supernova.

'Cow' supernova is brightest ever seen in X-ray observations

By Tereza Pultarova published

Astronomers have spotted the brightest ever 'Ccow' supernova shining in x-rays providing evidence the mysterious phenomenon might be driven by an emerging black hole or a neutron star.

A composite image of the effects of our Milky Way galaxy's monster black hole.

The Milky Way's supermassive black hole is leaking gas

By Chelsea Gohd published

The supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy is leaking.

Best space and astronomy books - Milky Way (Taken in Patagonia, Argentina)

Best space and astronomy books in 2022

By Jeff Spry published

A stellar collection of the best space and astronomy books for 2022.

The dwarf galaxy Mrk 462.

'Mini' monster black hole discovered hiding in a dwarf galaxy

By Chelsea Gohd published

A newly discovered "mini" supermassive black hole could help reveal some of the secrets behind the biggest black holes in the cosmos.

An artist's depiction of a black hole eating a star, also known as a tidal disruption event, and producing a superfast jet.

Supermassive black hole gobbled up a star in the 1980s, and high schoolers helped discover it

By Meghan Bartels published

Astronomers have found evidence of a black hole snacking on a star in data gathered back in the 1980s, according to new research.

Where do black holes lead to?

Where do black holes lead to?

By David Crookes, Daisy Dobrijevic published

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

Researchers have found over 75,000 of the brightest black holes.

Some black holes are anything but black – and we've found more than 75,000 of the brightest ones

By Sabine Bellstedt, Jessica Thorne published

New research has road-tested a way to spot some of the most voracious black holes of all, making it easier to find them buried deep in the hearts of distant galaxies.

An artist's impression of dark matter in the beginning of the universe.

We may finally be able to test one of Stephen Hawking's most far-out ideas

By Paul Sutter published

The recently launched James Webb Telescope should help determine if dark matter is made up of primordial black holes.

This illustration shows a black hole emitting jets of fast-moving plasma above and below it, as matter swirls around in an orbiting disk.

The 10 wildest things we learned about black holes in 2021

By Adam Mann published

A rundown of awesome results about black holes from 2021.

The black hole at the center of the Centaurus A galaxy has been imaged in unprecedented detail.

This record-breaking black hole eruption could cover 16 full moons in the sky

By Tereza Pultarova published

Astronomers have captured a detailed image of a massive eruption from the nearest feeding supermassive black hole that spans the size of 16 full moons in the sky.

A visualization of two black holes merging.

Black holes may have existed since the beginning of time (and could explain dark matter mystery)

By Tereza Pultarova published

The existence of primordial black holes in the earliest universe could explain dark matter as well as the sizes of black holes scientists can see today, a new study suggests.

An artistic visualization of AT2018cow.

Did scientists solve the mystery of the super-bright exploding 'cow' in space?

By Chelsea Gohd published

Science studying a mysterious star explosion known as "the Cow" think the blast could have created a black hole or neutron star.

Stars orbiting close to the Sagittarius A* black hole at the center of the Milky Way captured in May this year.

Astronomers peer deeper into Milky Way's heart than ever before with new telescope images

By Tereza Pultarova published

The deepest and sharpest images of the Milky Way's center have been obtained, enabling astronomers to estimate the mass of the black hole at the galaxy's heart with unmatched precision.

A mini-jet extends from the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

The Milky Way's supermassive black hole burps 'mini-jets,' scientists find

By Samantha Mathewson published

The supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy periodically hiccups, burping a "mini-jet" out into space.