Astronomers have discovered a mid-sized black hole at the center of Omega Centauri, a star cluster in the Milky Way, providing crucial evidence for the existence of ‘intermediate-mass black holes’ (IMBHs). This discovery fills a significant gap in our understanding of black hole evolution and could shed light on the formation of supermassive black holes in the early universe.
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a mesmerizing image of a ‘bejeweled’ halo of warped light generated by a distant quasar. The halo, resembling a cosmic crown, is adorned with four bright spots created by gravitational lensing. This phenomenon magnifies our view of the quasar, revealing its details and providing valuable insights into the nature of dark matter.
A new study utilizing NASA’s IXPE has revealed striking similarities between the X-ray emission patterns of the Cygnus X-3 binary system and distant quasars. The study suggests a funnel-shaped cavity around a probable black hole amplifies the X-ray emissions, potentially breaking the Eddington Limit. This discovery offers new insights into the behavior of ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs) found in distant galaxies.
NASA has shared a 360-degree video that attempts to show us what it would be like to fall into a supermassive black hole. The simulation depicts a flight toward a supermassive black hole surrounded by a hot, glowing disk of gas. This particular one has 4.3 million times the mass of our sun, equivalent to the monster located at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. The video also includes labels so that you can better understand the unfolding events.
