Black holes
A Coin-Sized Black Hole Would Destroy Earth—Here's How
Some black holes are truly monstrous in size, but even a small one on Earth would be enough to end life as we know it.
What Is Spaghettification? Black Hole 'Sucking In' Star Seen by Scientists
Scientists spotted the star being ripped apart by a black hole millions of light-years from Earth.
'We Found a Massive Black Hole Collision That Has Never Been Seen Before
We detected a very unusual signal, it was more like a bang. The signal was at such a low frequency that we knew that if it were a binary black hole, it must be really massive.
Incredible X-Ray Map of the Universe Like You've Never Seen It Before
"This all-sky image completely changes the way we look at the energetic universe," said researcher Peter Predehl.
Flash From Black Hole Milky Way's Heart Lit up Vast Stream of Gas
"The flash was so powerful that it lit up the stream like a Christmas tree," said researcher Andrew Fox.
The Closest Black Hole to Earth Has Been Discovered by Scientists
The black hole forms part of a triple star system known as HR 6819, which can be seen without binoculars or telescopes from the southern hemisphere on a dark, clear night.
NASA Scientists Observe the Most Energetic 'Quasar Tsunamis' to Date
Observations from NASA's Hubble telescope show these outflows contain, on average, 10 times more energy than previously thought.
Astronomers Spot Biggest Explosion in Universe Since Big Bang
"We've seen outbursts in the centers of galaxies before, but this one is really, really massive," researcher Melanie Johnston-Hollitt said.
Three Supermassive Black Holes Discovered at the Heart of One Galaxy
"Up until now, such a concentration of three supermassive black holes had never been discovered in the universe," Peter Weilbacher, from the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam, said.
Astronomers Detect Brightest Source of High-energy Light in the Universe
A typical gamma ray burst lasting seconds or minutes produces about the same energy as our sun does over the course of its entire multi-billion-year lifecycle.
Calculator Tells You What Will Happen If Earth Is Sucked Into a Black Hole
Black holes are dead stars that, after exploding as supernovae, have so much mass that nothing can hold them together, causing them to collapse into a singularity.
Planet Nine Mystery Could Be Caused by a Black Hole Say Scientists
Five years ago scientists proposed the hypothetical existence of a large world tens of millions of miles from the Sun, which has come to be known as "Planet Nine."
NASA Visualization Reveals How a Black Hole Warps Its Surroundings
"Simulations and movies like these really help us visualize what Einstein meant when he said that gravity warps the fabric of space and time," the creator of the images said.
Most Massive Neutron Star Ever Discovered Is at 'Tipping Point'
The star, named J0740+6620, has a mass more than two times that of our sun, but is just 18 miles wide.
Mystery Black Hole Appears to Have Hurled a Star Across the Milky Way
Astronomers found a "runaway star," dubbed PG 1610+062, in the outer halo of the Milky Way.
A Black Hole Swallowing a Neutron Star May Have Been Observed by Scientists
Researchers detected gravitational waves—ripples in space-time—emanating from a cataclysmic event around 900 million light years away.
Observatory That Hunts Universe's Most Elusive Particle to Get $37m Upgrade
IceCube searches for neutrinos—invisible, nearly massless subatomic particles which rarely ever interact with normal matter.
NASA Awards SpaceX $50M Launch Contract for Black Hole Research Satellite
The Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) is a space observatory that's designed to collect X-ray light data from extreme phenomena.
What Is a Time Warp and Where Could We Find One?
The idea that time can be warped was proposed by Albert Einstein in his pioneering theories of special relativity and general relativity.
Traveling Through a Wormhole Wouldn't Be a Shortcut
The idea of wormholes was predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity in 1916.
An 'Invisible Galaxy' May Be Hiding in the Milky Way
Scientists think that at the heart of nearly every galaxy lies a supermassive black hole (SMBH) with immense gravity.
Ghost Black Holes from a Past Universe Possibly Found
Researchers say they have detected remnants of a universe that existed before our own.
Star Spurts Massive Jet as Black Hole Rips It Apart
This is the first time astronomers have directly imaged the brutal phenomenon.
Stephen Hawking's Voice To Be Beamed Into a Black Hole
The broadcast will "create a link" between Hawking's presence on Earth, his desire to visit space and his scientific explorations of the universe, his daughter said.
Neutron Star Collision Probably Created a Black Hole
Last year's collision was the first in which scientists could actually see what was happening during and after the collision.
Astronomers Discover Fastest-Growing Black Hole
The behemoth gobbles up the equivalent of our sun's mass every two days.
Is This What Makes Up Mysterious Dark Matter?
Ancient black holes, dwarf galaxies and invisible halos might unlock the secrets of dark matter.
Galaxies Merge in Stunning Butterfly Formation
Competing winds from black holes and stars wrestle to give this galaxy its strange butterfly shape.
Thousands of Black Holes Exist at Our Galaxy's Center
The black holes surround the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.