black holes

Three scientists win Nobel physics prize for black hole research

By David Keyton, Seth Borenstein, Associated Press

Scientists spot two black holes merged into never before seen size

Black holes are getting stranger — even to astronomers. Scientists reported Wednesday they detected the merger of two smaller black holes into the first intermediate sized black hole ever observed. …

By Seth Borenstein, Associated Press

This is not an actual image of a black hole. This artist’s impression shows the surroundings of a supermassive black hole, typical of that found at the heart of many galaxies. The black hole itself is surrounded by a brilliant accretion disc of very hot, infalling material and, further out, a dusty torus. There are also often high-speed jets of material ejected at the black hole’s poles that can extend huge distances into space. Illustration and caption by European Southern Observatory

WATCH: What does a black hole look like? Scientists reveal the first picture

The Event Horizon Telescope is expected to release the first image of a black hole on Wednesday. In preparation for what might be a momentous day, here’s what you need to know.

By Nsikan Akpan

Artist's conception shows two merging black holes similar to those detected by LIGO. The black holes are spinning in a non-aligned fashion, which means they have different orientations relative to the overall orbital motion of the pair. LIGO found hints that at least one black hole in the system called GW170104 was non-aligned with its orbital motion before it merged with its partner. Image by LIGO/Caltech/MIT/Sonoma State (Aurore Simonnet)

‘Dancing’ black holes yield stellar object as massive as 49 suns

Astronomers announced they have detected another gravitational wave tearing through spacetime, changing of our understanding of black holes and other stellar phenomena.

By Andrew Wagner

Listening in on the ‘Black Hole Blues,’ the soundtrack of the universe

February saw one of the most important astronomical breakthroughs of the decade, as a team of scientists “heard” gravitational waves -- a key postulate of Einstein’s theory of relativity -- for the first time in human history. Now, astrophysicist Janna…

By PBS NewsHour

What’s the sound of two black holes colliding? Proof that Einstein was right

By PBS NewsHour

Gravitational waves -- ripples in the fabric of spacetime -- aren’t just an Einstein theory any more. A team of international scientists announced Thursday that they confirmed the waves’ existence after recording feedback from a black hole collision a billion…

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What’s making this galaxy shine with the light of 300 trillion suns?

By Colleen Shalby

In a galaxy far, far away -- specifically 12.5 billion years from Earth -- shines the light of over 300 trillion suns.

How a global network of telescopes may give us first glimpse of a black hole

By PBS NewsHour

Even though black holes are vital to our understanding of the universe, no one has ever seen one -- yet. To change this, a team of scientists in northern Chile, is using a network of telescopes around the globe to…

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How seeing a black hole’s shadow will tell us if Einstein was right

By Rebecca Jacobson, Inside Energy

Black holes are some of the most exotic objects in our universe. But how do you see something that, by definition, you can't see? The answer will take a telescope the size of the Earth.