Ripples from deep space reveal the most massive black hole ever detected

When two enormous black holes collide in deep space, they send shockwaves rippling across the universe. These shockwaves, called gravitational waves, bend and stretch the fabric of space itself.

Recently, astronomers detected the strongest gravitational wave ever recorded. It came from two gigantic black holes merging billions of years ago, creating a massive black hole with an energy burst equal to eight suns exploding at once.

Astronomers identified the wave with special observatories designed to sense tiny distortions in space. These detectors are in Italy and the United States, forming a global scientific effort. The signal they captured, named GW190521, was unlike anything astronomers had seen before.

"This is the first time we have detected gravitational waves from the collision of such massive black holes—85 and 65 times the size of the Sun," explained Dr. Laura Nuttall, a senior lecturer at the University of Portsmouth.

When these massive spinning black holes spiraled toward each other and merged, they created an even larger black hole weighing roughly 142 times our Sun. Scientists call this an "intermediate-mass black hole," a type they've suspected existed but had never clearly detected until now.

The blast released gravitational-wave energy equal to about eight solar masses, making it the most powerful gravitational event recorded yet. The waves traveled an astonishing 17 billion light-years to reach Earth, marking one of the most distant events astronomers have ever detected.

The discovery isn't just impressive due to its size. It challenges existing theories of how black holes form.

Typically, black holes result from massive stars collapsing at the end of their lives. Yet, astronomers believe certain sizes should never happen. According to established ideas, stars collapsing through gravity can't create black holes between about 65 and 120 solar masses. A phenomenon called "pair instability" prevents this.

"Up to now, all the black holes we have seen can be explained by the collapse of massive stars," Dr. Nuttall said. "But you can't produce a black hole 85 times the size of the Sun this way. So how did one of our black holes form?"

Professor Alberto Vecchio, Director at the Institute of Gravitational Wave Astronomy, University of Birmingham, echoed this mystery:

"When stars are too massive, they blow up completely when they collapse, leaving nothing behind. A black hole of 85 solar masses should not exist. This is a beautiful discovery and a fascinating puzzle. Now we need to figure out how nature could have possibly assembled such an object."

Scientists must reconsider what they know about how black holes grow, evolve, and merge. Future detections will help them uncover whether such massive black holes are common or rare.

Professor Stephen Fairhurst, Director of the Gravity Exploration Institute, Cardiff University, summarized the excitement: "We have observed the merger of the most massive pair of black holes to date, including one too massive to have formed directly from a star's collapse. Future observations will tell us how common these massive black holes are and provide further clues to their origins."

Detecting gravitational waves isn't easy. They were first predicted by Albert Einstein over a century ago but weren't directly observed until 2015. That groundbreaking discovery earned a Nobel Prize in Physics.

Since then, scientists have observed many events, each revealing new cosmic secrets. This latest finding results from international teamwork involving over 1,000 researchers across 18 countries.

The UK played a significant role. British scientists contributed technology, analysis tools, and expertise to the global collaboration. Funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), through the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), helped upgrade the observatories' sensitivity significantly between 2010 and 2015.

Science Minister Amanda Solloway highlighted the discovery’s importance: "Ever since Albert Einstein first predicted the existence of gravitational waves over 100 years ago, the global science community has committed its efforts to identifying them. This latest discovery is another momentous step forward in advancing our knowledge of the universe."

Scientists aren't stopping here. The UK government, through UKRI, plans further improvements to these observatories throughout the decade. These upgrades, called Advanced LIGO+, will make the detectors even more sensitive.

Professor Sheila Rowan from the University of Glasgow emphasized the value of these ongoing improvements: "One lesson we’ve learned since the first observing run is the importance of occasionally pausing to upgrade the instruments. The return on that investment is tremendous. It translates into more detections and detections made at higher sensitivities. That enables findings like this one, which might have been impossible to identify without our improvements."

As scientists enhance their tools, they expect to find more extraordinary events. Each detection expands humanity’s understanding of black holes, stars, and the cosmos itself.

The detection of gravitational waves has given astronomers a powerful new way to explore the universe. Traditional telescopes rely on visible light, radio waves, or X-rays. Gravitational waves offer another perspective, especially for studying invisible and extreme cosmic phenomena.

This recent discovery is evidence that gravitational-wave astronomy can surprise scientists with events previously thought impossible. Every new signal detected could challenge old theories and inspire new ones.

With better detectors, astronomers could observe hundreds of mergers each year, discovering rare black holes and strange cosmic objects. Each new event will help answer fundamental questions about how black holes form, how they grow, and how the universe itself evolves.

Scientists worldwide eagerly await future discoveries that gravitational-wave astronomy will surely provide. The universe is vast, and with each detection, humanity takes another step toward unraveling its most profound mysteries.

Note: The article above provided above by The Brighter Side of News.

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