If the X-rays in a black hole's jets are highly polarized, that would mean that the X-rays are produced by protons gyrating in the magnetic field of the jet or protons interacting with the jet's ...

Astronomers have obtained the sharpest-ever X-ray spectrum of an iconic active galaxy, providing the most accurate, precise ...

Earth’s atmosphere is opaque to X-rays, which is probably good news for life on this planet. It is not good news for astronomers, however, because that means the best way for them to see high-energy ...

A black hole’s bizarre "heartbeat" is forcing astronomers to reconsider how these cosmic heavyweights behave. Observations of IGR J17091-3624 — a black hole in a binary system roughly 28,000 ...

Space.com was on duty all year to bring you the major developments in the science of the universe's most fascinating entities: black holes. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an ...

Long before rockets and satellites reached space, the Crab Nebula stood out as a steady beacon of high-energy light. At its center sits a dense, rapidly spinning neutron star that turns every 33.8 ...

Some things in cosmology may simply be unknowable. Why is there something rather than nothing? What lies outside the universe? What is inside a black hole? That last one has been niggling at ...

Researchers believe the 'ultramassive' black hole is big enough to be the largest of its kind ever detected. Black holes are regions of space where the pull of gravity is so intense that even light ...

Yale astronomer Pieter van Dokkum and a team of researchers have discovered an object in space they call the “Infinity” galaxy — two recently-collided galaxies that, together, look like the symbol for ...

Physicists may soon witness a cosmic fireworks show: the explosive death of a primordial black hole. Once thought to be unimaginably rare, new research suggests there’s up to a 90% chance of catching ...