{"id":113811,"date":"2025-09-02T08:59:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T08:59:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/113811\/"},"modified":"2025-09-02T08:59:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T08:59:13","slug":"a-record-breaking-black-hole-36-billion-times-the-mass-of-the-sun-may-have-been-detected","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/113811\/","title":{"rendered":"A record-breaking black hole 36 billion times the mass of the Sun may have been detected"},"content":{"rendered":"

They\u2019re cosmic icons and sci-fi legends\u2014and nearly 50 years after becoming scientific headliners, black holes are still full of surprises. In fact, one of the most massive ever found may have just been discovered by chance. And we\u2019re not talking ordinary supermassive\u2014we\u2019re talking ultramassive.<\/p>\n

Gravitational lensing is the phenomenon behind it all. When huge amounts of matter bend space and time, they also bend light\u2014acting like a giant magnifying glass for whatever\u2019s behind them. This idea first surfaced in 1924 (yes, really), but it wasn\u2019t until Einstein picked it up in 1936 that it got any attention. He didn\u2019t think we\u2019d ever observe it. Turns out, he was wrong\u2014and lucky for us, because we now use it to study dark matter<\/a>, spot distant galaxies, and zoom in on cosmic objects billions of light-years away.<\/p>\n

The first real observation? That came in 1979, with the famous Twin Quasar in Ursa Major. It proved that gravitational lensing wasn\u2019t just theory\u2014it was part of the cosmic toolkit.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

In a vacuum, light usually travels in a straight line. But in a space distorted by a massive celestial body, such as a galaxy, this trajectory is deflected! Thus, a light source located behind a galaxy has an apparent position different from its actual position: this is the phenomenon of gravitational mirage. This video is from the web documentary \u201cThe Odyssey of Light\u201d and was integrated into the web documentary \u201cEmbark with Dark Matter\u201d. \u00a9 CEA, Animea<\/p>\n

A cosmic horseshoe hides a sleeping giant<\/p>\n

Among the best-known lensing events is the \u201cCosmic Horseshoe,\u201d created by the galaxy LRG 3-757. Located in the Leo constellation, about 5 billion light-years from us, this massive elliptical galaxy warps light into a near-perfect ring, called an Einstein ring.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s more to this galaxy than meets the eye. According to a new study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, it might house a hidden heavyweight\u2014one of the biggest black holes ever discovered. Astronomers now believe it could have a mass of 36 billion solar masses, rivaling the previous record holder, Holm 15A*.<\/p>\n

Some researchers refer to any black hole above 5 billion solar masses as \u201cultramassive,\u201d though the term isn\u2019t universal. What is certain is that black holes this big are still deeply mysterious\u2014especially since most of what we know comes from smaller ones, like the 4-million-solar-mass black hole at the center of our own galaxy.<\/p>\n

As for how massive a black hole can actually get? The jury\u2019s still out. Some theories cap it at 50 billion; others go as high as 250 billion. Either way, we\u2019re still far from knowing the full story.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Another image of the Cosmic Horseshoe, but with both images of a second background source highlighted. The faint central image forms near the black hole, which made this new discovery possible. \u00a9 NASA, ESA, Tian Li (University of Portsmouth)<\/p>\n

Mass confirmed by star motion\u2014not light<\/p>\n

To calculate the size of this cosmic beast, astronomers didn\u2019t rely on its glow\u2014it\u2019s not active. Instead, they tracked the movement of nearby stars traveling at incredible speeds (nearly 400 km\/s). These orbits are shaped entirely by gravity, giving scientists a direct way to weigh what\u2019s at the center.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis black hole is one of the top ten most massive we\u2019ve ever found\u2014possibly the most massive,\u201d said Professor Thomas Collett of the University of Portsmouth. \u201cMost black hole measurements are full of uncertainty. But this method gives us something much more precise.\u201d<\/p>\n

His co-author, Carlos Melo from Brazil\u2019s UFRGS, added: \u201cThis one isn\u2019t even feeding\u2014it\u2019s a dormant black hole<\/a>. We only saw it because of how strongly it pulls on the stars around it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The truly exciting part? This method works even when black holes are completely invisible. And it could revolutionize how we find and measure them across the universe. Instead of relying on guesswork from active systems, this technique\u2014based on a mix of lensing and stellar dynamics\u2014gives us a clear, direct picture.<\/p>\n

The Royal Astronomical Society sees major potential: \u201cThis discovery is key to understanding how supermassive black holes shape their galaxies. With the success of this method, we\u2019re now looking to ESA\u2019s Euclid telescope to uncover even more\u2014and unravel how these giants help stop galaxies from forming new stars.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t Laurent Sacco <\/p>\n

\n Journalist <\/p>\n

Born in Vichy in 1969, I grew up during the Apollo era, inspired by space exploration, nuclear energy, and major scientific discoveries. Early on, I developed a passion for quantum physics, relativity, and epistemology, influenced by thinkers like Russell, Popper, and Teilhard de Chardin, as well as scientists such as Paul Davies and Haroun Tazieff.<\/p>\n

I studied particle physics at Blaise-Pascal University in Clermont-Ferrand, with a parallel interest in geosciences and paleontology, where I later worked on fossil reconstructions. Curious and multidisciplinary, I joined Futura to write about quantum theory, black holes, cosmology, and astrophysics, while continuing to explore topics like exobiology, volcanology, mathematics, and energy issues.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve interviewed renowned scientists such as Fran\u00e7oise Combes, Abhay Ashtekar, and Aur\u00e9lien Barrau, and completed advanced courses in astrophysics at the Paris and C\u00f4te d\u2019Azur Observatories. Since 2024, I\u2019ve served on the scientific committee of the Cosmos prize. I also remain deeply connected to the Russian and Ukrainian scientific traditions, which shaped my early academic learning.<\/p>\n

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