“Mini” Monster Black Hole Discovery Could Reveal Secrets to Giant’s Growth
The discovery of a supermassive black hole in a relatively small galaxy could help astronomers unravel the mystery surrounding how the very biggest black holes…
Chandra X-ray Observatory
Astronomers Discover Four Enormous Bubbles Caused by Giant Black Holes
Scientists have found four enormous cavities, or bubbles, at the center of a galaxy cluster using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. This unusual set of features…
“Mini” Monster Black Hole Discovery May Provide Clues to Astonishing Supermassive Growth
Astronomers have discovered a supermassive black hole in the dwarf galaxy Mrk 462 with NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. The percentage of these galaxies that have…
A Black Hole – A Million Times As Bright As Our Sun – Offers Potential Clue to Reionization of Universe
About 400,000 years after the universe was created began a period called “The Epoch of Reionization.” During this time, the once hotter universe began to…
Astronomers Spy Quartet of Enormous Cavities From Giant Black Holes
Four cavities in the hot gas of a single galaxy cluster have been found. Astronomers found this quartet of X-ray cavities in the cluster located…
Unusual X-Ray Activity Detected As Object Is Roasted and Shredded by a Stellar Sidekick
An exhausted star still has some punches to deliver. Astronomers have found that a white dwarf is pummeling a companion object — either a lightweight…
Roasted and Shredded by a Stellar Sidekick: Astronomers Find White Dwarf Blasting a Companion Object
A white dwarf is blasting a companion object, which is either a low-mass star or a planet. The companion is likely receiving a barrage of…
Astronomers May Have Discovered a Planet in Another Galaxy
Using ESA’s XMM-Newton and NASA’s Chandra X-ray space telescopes, astronomers have made an important step in the quest to find a planet outside of the…
Astronomers May Have Discovered the First Extragalactic Planet
Until now, astronomers have found all other known exoplanets and exoplanet candidates in the Milky Way galaxy, almost all less than about 3,000 light-years from…
A Cosmic Powder Keg: When a Stable Star Explodes
The supernova remnant G344.7-0.1 is across the Milky Way about 19,600 light years from Earth. It belongs to a class of supernovas called “Type Ia”…
First Evidence for a Possible Planet Outside of the Milky Way Galaxy
Astronomers have announced evidence for a possible planet in another galaxy. This “exoplanet” would be much farther away than any of the thousands of others…
Jingle, Pluck, and Hum: Mesmerizing Sounds From Space
Since 2020, a “sonification” project has transformed astronomical data from some of the world’s most powerful telescopes into sound. Three new objects — a star-forming…
“X-Ray Magnifying Glass” Provides Unprecedented Look at Black Hole in the Early Universe
By taking advantage of a natural lens in space, astronomers have captured an unprecedented look at X-rays from a black hole system in the early…
Astronomers Use “X-Ray Magnifying Glass” To Enhance View of Distant Black Holes
Astronomers have used an “X-ray magnifying glass” to study a black hole system in the early Universe. The amplification and magnification of light by an…
Spectacular Set of Massive Concentric Rings Around a Black Hole
A spectacular set of rings around a black hole has been captured using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. The X-ray images…
Astronomers Spot Unusual, Enormous Rings Around a Black Hole
Astronomers spotted an unusual set of rings in X-rays around a black hole with a companion star. These rings are created by light echoes, a…
Chandra Catches Extraordinary “Slingshot” During Titanic Space Collision
Abell 1775 is a system where a smaller galaxy cluster has plowed into a larger one. Using X-rays from Chandra and data from other telescopes…
Mega-Flares From Stars: 10 Million Times More Energetic Than the Most Powerful Flare Ever Observed on the Sun
The long relationships between stars and the planets around them — including the Sun and the Earth — may be even more complex than previously…