accretion disk

Watching the Changing M87 Black Hole Event Horizon

The event horizon is a fascinating part of a black hole’s anatomy. In 2017, telescopes around the world gathered data…

2 weeks ago

Recent Observations Challenge our Understanding of Giant Black Holes

Black holes are among the most mysterious and powerful objects in the Universe. These behemoths form when sufficiently massive stars…

4 weeks ago

About a Third of Supermassive Black Holes are Hiding

Supermassive black holes can have trillions of times more mass than the Sun, only exist in specific locations, and could…

4 weeks ago

The Hubble and FU Orionis: a New Look at an Old Mystery

In 1936 astronomers watched as FU Orionis, a dim star in the Orion constellation, brightened dramatically. The star's brightness increased…

3 months ago

Astronomers Map the Shape of a Black Hole's Corona for the First Time

The Sun is surrounded by the corona, a region of superheated gas above the surface that can be millions of…

3 months ago

Simulating the Accretion Disk Around a Black Hole

Black holes are by their very nature, challenging to observe and difficult to spot. It's usually observations of the accretion…

5 months ago

Not All Black Holes are Ravenous Gluttons

Some Supermassive Black Holes (SMBHs) consume vast quantities of gas and dust, triggering brilliant light shows that can outshine an…

9 months ago

A Black Hole Has Cleared Out Its Neighbourhood

We can't see them directly, but we know they're there. Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) likely dwell at the center of…

1 year ago

A Bizarre Pulsar Switches Between Two Brightness Modes. Astronomers Finally Figured Out Why.

Pulsars are the lighthouses of the universe. These rotating dead stars shoot twin jets of radiation from their poles, usually…

1 year ago

Hungry Black Hole was Already Feasting 800 Million Years After the Big Bang

Black holes swallow everything—including light—which explains why we can't see them. But we can observe their immediate surroundings and learn…

2 years ago