supermassive black holes

Artist’s depiction of a blue star orbiting a black hole… except this depiction for the purported 70 solar mass black hole is incorrect. That gas orbits the whole system. Credit: Jingchuan Yu / Beijing Planetarium (modified by Phil Plait)
So, about that 'too massive' black hole… yeah, not so much.
Phil Plait
Trending on SYFY WIRE in supermassive black holes
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: Black Holes
Tag: Stars
Tag: Science
Tag: galaxy collisions

Related tags

Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: galaxy collisions
A galaxy with *three* supermassive black hole hearts
Phil Plait
Comment count Comment count: Trending 0
hst_ngc6240_bigNGC 6240, a relatively nearby galactic collision. Credit: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration, and A. Evans (University of Virginia, Charlottesville/NRAO/Stony Brook University)
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: galaxy collisions
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: supermassive black holes
The wind from a galaxy's supermassive black hole helps make stars… in other galaxies
Phil Plait
Comment count Comment count: Trending 0
Artist drawing of a blazar, a galaxy with a supermassive black hole spewing out energy. Credit: DESY, Science Communication Lab
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: supermassive black holes
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: Milky Way
Our local supermassive black hole shot a star right out of the galaxy
Phil Plait
Nov 13, 2019
Comment count Comment count: Trending 2
Artwork depicting the ejection of one star in a binary system by a supermassive black hole. Credit: James Josephides (Swinburne Astronomy Productions)
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: Milky Way
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: supermassive black holes
Why is this anemic galaxy’s central black hole so beefy?
Phil Plait
Nov 1, 2019
Comment count Comment count: Trending 4
artwork of a black hole accretion disk
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: supermassive black holes
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: galaxies
A little gorgeousness for you, c/o the spiral galaxy M61
Phil Plait
Aug 23, 2019
Comment count Comment count: Trending 1
The center of the galaxy M61 shows the spiral pattern goes right down to the core. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, Acknowledgement: Det58
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: galaxies
Tag: Science
Tag: Black Holes
Tag: supermassive black holes
Wrap your mind around this newly-discovered ultramassive black hole
Jeff Spry
Aug 13, 2019
Comment count Comment count: Trending 0
Black Hole
Tag: Science
Tag: Black Holes
Tag: supermassive black holes
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: Black Holes
The supermassive black hole in our galaxy recently erupted… and we don't know why
Phil Plait
Aug 13, 2019
Comment count Comment count: Trending 11
artwork of a black hole accretion disk
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: Black Holes
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: supermassive black holes
Measuring a monster: The two *billion* solar mass black hole in NGC 3258
Phil Plait
Aug 8, 2019
Comment count Comment count: Trending 0
Artwork depicting the inner ring of gas and dust around the accretion disk, with the supermassive black hole directly in the center powering everything. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: supermassive black holes
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: Black Holes
Peering down the cliff of infinity: The first image of the event horizon of a black hole
Phil Plait
Apr 10, 2019
Comment count Comment count: Trending 6
The very first image of the event horizon of a supermassive black hole. This shows the silhouette of a black hole with a mass 6.5 billion times that of the Sun, located at the core of the galaxy M87 55 million light years away from Earth. Credit: NSF
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: Black Holes
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: active galaxies
Astronomers spot a massive doughnut of material around quasar Cygnus A’s supermassive black hole
Phil Plait
Apr 3, 2019
Comment count Comment count: Trending 5
Cygnus A
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: active galaxies
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: galaxy cluster
A distant black hole powers a colossal galactic fountain
Phil Plait
Nov 29, 2018
Comment count Comment count: Trending 0
Composite image of the galaxy cluster Abell 2597 showing X-rays from background hot gas (purple), radio waves from cold gas falling toward the center (yellow), and warm hydrogen gas (red).
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: galaxy cluster
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: Black Holes
Astronomers see material orbiting a black hole *right* at the edge of forever
Phil Plait
Nov 8, 2018
Comment count Comment count: Trending 10
A computer simulation shows the light emitted from dust swirling at 30% the speed of light around a black hole. Incredibly strong gravity affects the path the light takes, creating the warped structure. Credit: ESO/Gravity Consortium/L. Calçada
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: Black Holes
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: spiral galaxy
Thanks to a huge black hole, this galaxy grew an extra pair of arms
Phil Plait
Sep 13, 2018
Comment count Comment count: Trending 1
The inner disk of the spiral galaxy M 106 shows a pair of “anomalous arms”, actually gas heated by emission from the central black hole. Credit: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), and R. Gendler (for the Hubble Heritage Team). Acknowledgmen
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: spiral galaxy
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: Milky Way
Stunning chaos in the galactic core
Phil Plait
Jul 17, 2018
Comment count Comment count: Trending 10
The center of the Milky Way galaxy imaged in radio waves by the MeerKAT observatory. Supernova, stellar nurseries, and filaments of gas are strewn everywhere. Credit: MeerKAT
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: Milky Way
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: galaxies
Astronomers watch the aftermath of a star ripped apart by a huge black hole
Phil Plait
Jun 19, 2018
Comment count Comment count: Trending 8
Artwork depicting a star torn apart by a black hole in Arp 299, with a beam of material blasting away. Credit: Sophia Dagnello, NRAO/AUI/NSF; NASA, STScI
Tag: Science
Tag: Bad Astronomy
Tag: galaxies