Space

Astronomers have used the Very Large Telescope (VLT) to observe the violent outflow of material from a distant black hole. The observation once again shows that even the hungriest black holes are extremely messy eaters, while also revealing the “digestive processes” of these cosmic titans in unprecedented detail. The research focuses on the black hole system Swift J1727.8−1613…

Looking forward to the 2026 solar eclipse, happening on Aug. 12? I know I am and even though it’s not a total solar eclipse here in the UK (the path of totality crosses Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain), we’ll still get to watch the moon obscure around 90% of the Sun, a sight that terrified our ancient ancestors. However, you’ll need proper eye protection, such as solar…

The full Buck Moon rose to delight and dazzle stargazers with a spectacular display of moonlight on July 29 and we’ve got the photos to prove it! July’s moon is also known as the full “Buck Moon” — a traditional name used by Native American tribes to reflect the time of year when young deer grow out their antlers. Sadly, the name didn’t herald any dramatic…

Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray space telescope, astronomers have spotted the blisteringly hot exhaust fumes of one the earliest quasars, cosmic “breath” with temperatures as great as 36 million degrees Fahrenheit. This intensely bright titan is powered by a feeding supermassive black hole engine. The Chandra X-ray telescope observed a relatively silent quasar that existed 2.1…