http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/black_holes/ Black Holes in Space. Read science articles on colliding supermassive black holes, simulated gravitational waves of a black hole, black hole theory and more. Astronomy images. en-us Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:05:01 EST Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/black_holes/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110105404.htm While astronomers have studied lightweight and heavyweight black holes for decades, the evidence for black holes with intermediate masses has been much harder to come by. Now, astronomers find that an X-ray source in galaxy NGC 5408 represents one of the best cases for a middleweight black hole to date. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110105404.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922112204.htm A dramatic new vista of the center of the Milky Way galaxy from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory exposes new levels of the complexity and intrigue in the Galactic center. The mosaic of 88 Chandra pointings represents a freeze-frame of the spectacle of stellar evolution, from bright young stars to black holes, in a crowded, hostile environment dominated by a central, supermassive black hole. Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922112204.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090918100015.htm Black holes are invading stars, providing a radical explanation to bright flashes in the universe that are one of the biggest mysteries in astronomy today. Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090918100015.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914195124.htm It may sound like science fiction, but freakish galactic events such as ravenous black holes and ripples in the space-time continuum could be happening all around us, according to new research. Astronomers examined 50 regular galaxies to determine their composition and structure, and found that 12 of these galaxies contained a double nucleus -- that is, they had both a super massive black hole and a dense star cluster containing up to ten million stars at their center. Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914195124.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911210539.htm An unprecedented measuring campaign has succeeded in precisely defining the place of origin of high-energy gamma radiation in the galaxy Messier 87. This radiation can only be produced by accelerating elementary particles to very high energies in enormous cosmic objects. Now the underlying extreme physical processes and inherent implications can be investigated in more detail. Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911210539.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090902112111.htm Astronomers have taken a striking new image of a nearby galaxy that many astronomers think closely resembles our own Milky Way. Though the galaxy is seen edge-on, observations of NGC 4945 suggest that this hive of stars is a spiral galaxy much like our own, with swirling, luminous arms and a bar-shaped central region. These resemblances aside, NGC 4945 has a brighter center that likely harbors a supermassive black hole, which is devouring reams of matter and blasting energy out into space. Sun, 06 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090902112111.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901202841.htm Astronomers have discovered a giant galaxy surrounding the most distant supermassive black hole ever found. The galaxy, so distant that it is seen as it was 12.8 billion years ago, is as large as the Milky Way galaxy and harbors a supermassive black hole that contains at least a billion times as much matter as our Sun. Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901202841.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901132806.htm Scientists using a continent-wide array of radio telescopes have made an extremely precise measurement of the curvature of space caused by the Sun's gravity, and their technique promises a major contribution to a frontier area of basic physics. Wed, 02 Sep 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901132806.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090831130817.htm Since its discovery 45 years ago, Cygnus X-1 has been one of the most intensively studied cosmic X-ray sources. About a decade after its discovery, Cygnus X-1 secured a place in the history of astronomy when a combination of X-ray and optical observations led to the conclusion that it was a black hole, the first such identification. Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090831130817.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090821163513.htm Despite their popularity in the science fiction genre, there is much to be learned about black holes. Researchers have proposed a new way of creating a reproduction black hole in the laboratory on a much-tinier scale than their celestial counterparts. Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090821163513.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810122135.htm The first black holes in the universe had dramatic effects on their surroundings, according to new supercomputer simulations carried out by physicists. Several popular theories posit that the first black holes gorged themselves on gas clouds and dust, growing into the supersized black holes that lurk in the centers of galaxies today. However, the new results point to a much more complex role for the first black holes. Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810122135.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090804095939.htm NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has imaged a wild creature of the dark -- a coiled galaxy with an eye-like object at its center. Wed, 05 Aug 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090804095939.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090804165206.htm An exciting new astrophysics mission will provide a revolutionary window into the universe. Named the Gravity and Extreme Magnetism Small Explorer (GEMS), the satellite will be the first to systematically measure the polarization of cosmic X-ray sources. Tue, 04 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090804165206.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090714124952.htm New simulations reveal that turbulence created by jets of material ejected from the disks of the Universe's largest black holes is responsible for halting star formation. Sat, 18 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090714124952.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090714165054.htm Back in June 1991, just before the launch of NASA's Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory, astronomers knew of gamma rays from exactly one galaxy beyond our own. To their surprise and delight, the satellite captured similar emissions from dozens of other galaxies. Now its successor, the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, is filling in the picture with new finds of its own. Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090714165054.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090709170759.htm The tight cluster of stars surrounding a supermassive black hole after it has been violently kicked out of a galaxy represents a new kind of astronomical object and a fossil record of the kick. A new article discusses the theoretical properties of "hypercompact stellar systems" and suggests that hundreds of these faint star clusters might be detected at optical wavelengths in our immediate cosmic environment. Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090709170759.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090709170805.htm The earliest stars in the universe formed not only as individuals, but sometimes also as twins, according to a new article in Science. By creating simulations of the early universe, astrophysicists have gained the most detailed understanding to date of the formation of the first stars. Fri, 10 Jul 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090709170805.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090702140839.htm Combining gamma-ray telescopes with the supersharp radio 'vision' of the Very Long Baseline Array showed astronomers the location from which very-high-energy gamma rays are emerging from the core ot the giant galaxy M87. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090702140839.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090701131301.htm A new class of black hole, more than 500 times the mass of the Sun, has been discovered by an international team of astronomers. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090701131301.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624152826.htm The "coming of age" of galaxies and black holes has been pinpointed, thanks to new data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes. This discovery helps resolve the true nature of gigantic blobs of gas observed around very young galaxies. Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624152826.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090605075215.htm The colossal stellar explosions called supernovae come in many kinds and flavors. Some of them are produced when a massive star reaches the end of its life in a sudden gravitational collapse. Astronomers have just found one of these explosions that defies the current classification scheme. Sun, 07 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090605075215.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090601090033.htm While humans are still struggling to get rid of unwanted carbon it appears that the heavens are really rather good at it. New research by astrophysicists has discovered that a mystery stellar explosion recorded in 2006 may have marked the unusual death of an equally unusually carbon-rich star. Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090601090033.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090528110642.htm NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has found a cosmic "ghost" lurking around a distant supermassive black hole. This is the first detection of such a high-energy apparition, and scientists think it is evidence of a huge eruption produced by the black hole. Fri, 29 May 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090528110642.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090527130830.htm Using new data from ESA's XMM-Newton spaceborne observatory, astronomers have probed closer than ever to a supermassive black hole lying deep at the core of a distant active galaxy. Thu, 28 May 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090527130830.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090429120851.htm It sounds like the plot of a sci-fi movie: Rogue black holes roaming our galaxy, threatening to swallow anything that gets too close. In fact, new calculations suggest that hundreds of massive black holes, left over from the galaxy-building days of the early universe, may wander the Milky Way. Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090429120851.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090428092558.htm Astronomers have found a gamma-ray burst from a star that died when the universe was only 630 million years old, or less than five percent of its present age. The event, dubbed GRB 090423, is the most distant cosmic explosion ever seen. Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090428092558.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090422085756.htm Astronomers have found the most distant signs of water in the Universe to date. The water vapor is thought to be contained in a jet ejected from a supermassive black hole at the centre of a galaxy, named MG J0414+0534. Sun, 26 Apr 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090422085756.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090422085754.htm A survey by the Chandra X-ray observatory has revealed in detail, for the first time, the effects of a shock wave blasted through a galaxy by powerful jets of plasma emanating from a supermassive black hole at the galactic core. The observations of Centaurus A, the nearest galaxy that contains these jets, have enabled astronomers to revise dramatically their picture of how jets affect the galaxies in which they live. Fri, 24 Apr 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090422085754.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090422191749.htm A process called 'dark gulping' may solve the mystery of the how supermassive black holes were able to form when the Universe was less than a billion years old. Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090422191749.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090414163735.htm A flare-up in a jet of matter blasting from a monster black hole is giving astronomers an incredible light show. The outburst is coming from a blob of matter, called HST-1, embedded in the jet, a powerful narrow beam of hot gas produced by a supermassive black hole residing in the core of the giant elliptical galaxy M87. HST-1 is so bright that it is outshining even M87's brilliant core, whose monster black hole is one of the most massive yet discovered. Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090414163735.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090403080731.htm Europe's Integral satellite has captured one of the brightest gamma-ray bursts ever seen. A meticulous analysis of the data has allowed astronomers to investigate the initial phases of this giant stellar explosion, which led to the ejection of matter at velocities close to the speed of light. In particular, the astronomers believe that the explosion lifted a piece of the central engine's magnetic field into space. Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090403080731.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325185506.htm New research is helping shed light on neutron stars, city-sized globs of ultra-dense matter that occasionally collapse into black holes. Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325185506.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325150617.htm New results from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have made a major advance in explaining how a special class of black holes may shut off the high-speed jets they produce.  These results suggest that these black holes have a mechanism for regulating the rate at which they grow. Thu, 26 Mar 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325150617.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090323092717.htm In the first observation if its kind, scientists have watched what happens when a star the size of 50 suns explodes. As they continued to track the spectacular event, they found that most of the star's mass collapsed in on itself, resulting in a large black hole. Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090323092717.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090223221439.htm In 1968, theoretical physicist and cosmologist Brandon Carter showed that a particle's wild gyrations while orbiting a rotating black hole nevertheless hold another variable fixed, which was named the "Carter constant," remaining somewhat mysterious 40 years later. Now Clifford M. Will, of Washington University has shown that, even in Newton's theory of gravitation, arrangements of masses exist whose gravitational field also admits a Carter-like constant of motion, in addition to energy and angular momentum. Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090223221439.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090219141458.htm With the greatest total energy, the fastest motions, and the highest-energy initial emissions ever before seen, a gamma-ray burst recently observed by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is one for the record books. The spectacular blast also raises new questions about gamma-ray bursts. Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090219141458.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090217092750.htm Physicists are harnessing the power of supercomputing to recreate how galaxies are born, how they develop over time and, ultimately, how they collapse. Scientists are creating computer simulations to better understand the physics of black holes and the role they play in galaxy formation. Sun, 22 Feb 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090217092750.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090203081609.htm Scientists are trying to understand the mysteries of the holographic principle: How many dimensions are there in our universe? Some of the world's brightest minds are carrying out research in this area -- and still have not succeeded so far in creating a unified theory of quantum gravitation is often considered to be the "Holy Grail" of modern science. Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090203081609.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090129090216.htm Variations in the brightness of the Q0957+561 quasar, also known as the "twin quasar" due to its duplicated image on Earth, are intrinsic to the entity itself and not caused by the gravitational effects of possible planets or stars from a far away galaxy. This is the conclusion of a new study resolving a mystery that has intrigued astronomers for the past 30 years. Tue, 03 Feb 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090129090216.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090202175320.htm Astronomers have used many telescopes around the world to uncover new evidence that the largest, most massive galaxies in the universe and the supermassive black holes at their hearts grew together over time. Tue, 03 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090202175320.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090128074617.htm Astronomers have a new insight into the active galaxy Centaurus A, as the jets and lobes emanating from the central black hole have been imaged at submillimeter wavelengths for the first time. Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090128074617.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090112102350.htm An ongoing X-ray survey undertaken by NASA's Swift spacecraft is revealing differences between nearby active galaxies and those located about halfway across the universe. Understanding these differences will help clarify the relationship between a galaxy and its central black hole. Tue, 13 Jan 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090112102350.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090106181729.htm Peering deep into the early universe, astronomers may have solved a longstanding cosmic chicken-and-egg problem -- which forms first -- galaxies or the black holes at their cores? Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090106181729.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090105131212.htm The center of the Milky Way presents astronomers with a paradox: It holds young stars, but no one is sure how those stars got there. The galactic center is wracked with powerful gravitational tides stirred by a 4 million solar-mass black hole. Those tides should rip apart molecular clouds that act as stellar nurseries, preventing stars from forming in place. Yet the alternative -- stars falling inward after forming elsewhere -- should be a rare occurrence. Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090105131212.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081216104311.htm After culling the literature for observed black holes, astronomers looked at 245 active galactic nuclei to characterize the shape of material swirling around them. The result: active galactic nuclei look like donuts, funneling from a dark center. This observation should constrain theories about how the material around black holes is produced and eventually allow scientists to study black holes themselves. Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081216104311.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081212122941.htm Combining a double natural "magnifying glass" with the power of ESO's Very Large Telescope, astronomers have scrutinized the inner parts of the disc around a supermassive black hole 10 billion light-years away. They were able to study the disc with a level of detail a thousand times better than that of the best telescopes in the world, providing the first observational confirmation of the prevalent theoretical models of such discs. Sat, 13 Dec 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081212122941.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081209221707.htm In a 16-year long study, German astronomers have produced the most detailed view ever of the surroundings of the monster lurking at our galaxy's heart -- a supermassive black hole. The research has unravelled the hidden secrets of this tumultuous region by mapping the orbits of almost 30 stars, a five-fold increase over previous studies. One of the stars has now completed a full orbit around the black hole. Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081209221707.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081202115328.htm Omega Centauri is one of the finest jewels of the southern hemisphere night sky, as ESO's latest stunning image beautifully illustrates. Containing millions of stars, this globular cluster is located roughly 17,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Centaurus. Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081202115328.htm