30 billion times bigger than the Sun: scientists have discovered one of the biggest black holes in the universe
The universe still hides many mysteries, and it is unlikely that humanity will ever be able to solve them. Scientists recently discovered the largest black hole ever recorded.
Its size is truly impressive - it is 30 billion times larger than the Sun. Details are reported by AFP.
James Nightingale, a researcher at Durham University in the United Kingdom, said that gravitational lensing helped detect a black hole. This technique suggests that light coming from a very distant galaxy seems to grow in size and change shape, bending inward to reveal the presence of a black hole.
We can draw an analogy with a beam of light passing through the clear glass of a glass.
The discovered hole exists more than 2 billion light years away from Earth. Astronomers say it's a stroke of luck to find it. Scientists were lucky that light from a distant galaxy passed close to the black hole.
Astronomers have not yet obtained final data, but preliminary estimates suggest the black hole may be the largest ever seen by humanity.
"Giant black holes are at the center of galaxies. They use gravitational pull of enormous force and absorb stars like dust particles," Nightingale noted.
Using gravitational lensing, black holes can be detected in 99% of the galaxies far beyond the reach of humankind.
Nightingale emphasized that the European Space Agency during the Euclid mission will open "a great new era for black hole hunters," which in the next 6 years could detect thousands.
Previously OBOZREVATEL told about a giant black hole "fugitive", which, according to preliminary data, threw out of its own galaxy and rushes through space.
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