Mysteriously bright flash is a black hole jet pointing straight toward Earth, astronomers say

The observations could illuminate how supermassive black holes feed and grow.

Jennifer Chu | MIT News Office • mit
Nov. 30, 2022 ~6 min

International team observes innermost structure of quasar jet

New observations show the deepest parts of the quasar's plasma jet in a project led by MIT Haystack Observatory.

Nancy Wolfe Kotary | MIT Haystack Observatory • mit
Nov. 22, 2022 ~8 min


X-rays reveal details of hot stuff around a black hole

New observations shed light on the super hot matter in the region immediately surrounding a black hole, researchers say.

Talia Ogliore-WUSTL • futurity
Nov. 4, 2022 ~6 min

Black hole burps up shredded star years after consuming it

For the first time, astronomers have observed a black hole burping up stellar remains years after it shredded and consumed the star.

Nadia Whitehead • harvard
Oct. 11, 2022 ~5 min

Astronomers find a “cataclysmic” pair of stars with the shortest orbit yet

The stars circle each other every 51 minutes, confirming a decades-old prediction.

Jennifer Chu | MIT News Office • mit
Oct. 5, 2022 ~7 min

Black hole collisions may clarify how fast the universe is expanding

A new technique may provide a unique window into the "teenage" years of the universe that are hard to study with other methods.

Louise Lerner-Chicago • futurity
Aug. 22, 2022 ~7 min

Astronomers have found an especially sneaky black hole – discovery sheds light on star death, black hole formation and gravitational waves

Astronomers have discovered the first dormant black hole outside of the Milky Way. These black holes are not absorbing matter from a nearby star, making them incredibly hard to find.

Idan Ginsburg, Academic Faculty in Physics & Astronomy, Georgia State University • conversation
July 25, 2022 ~7 min

James Webb Space Telescope: An astronomer explains the stunning, newly released first images

NASA released five new images from the James Webb Space Telescope, revealing incredible details of ancient galaxies, stars and the presence of water in the atmosphere of a distant planet.

Silas Laycock, Professor of Astronomy, UMass Lowell • conversation
July 13, 2022 ~9 min


Chandra Observatory shows black hole spins slower than its peers

Astronomers have made a record-breaking measurement of a black hole’s spin, one of two fundamental properties of black holes. NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory

Cambridge University News • cambridge
June 30, 2022 ~5 min

New pic sheds light on the death of ‘hypergiant’ stars

Astronomers are working to learn more about what happens when supergiant stars die. A new image has helped them uncover some answers.

Daniel Stolte-Arizona • futurity
June 23, 2022 ~8 min

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