Evidence suggests an intermediate-mass black hole hides in the Milky Way's largest star cluster
Sandeep K S
Dec 15, 2025
1 min read
Despite being the largest globular cluster in the Milky Way with 10 million stars, Omega Centauri's core remains silent and mysterious. Scientists suspect a massive black hole of at least 8,200 solar masses at the center, indicated by stars moving impossibly fast. However, the most sensitive radio scans have revealed nothing, suggesting a "starving" black hole with no nearby fuel to emit emissions.
China's FAST telescope—the largest on Earth—has scoured the archives to find 19 pulsars missed by previous searches, including rare "transient" ghosts.
Pulsars (spinning neutron stars) are lighthouses of the cosmos. Most are found near the Galactic Plane, where stars are dense.
In space, fire doesn't rise. It forms a ghostly sphere that is harder to detect and harder to kill. New research aims to tame flames for the journey to Mars.
On Earth, hot air is lighter than cold air. It rises, pulling fresh oxygen in from below. This convection gives fire its familiar teardrop shape and yellow color (soot).
Jupiter's outermost moon is a battered, icy archive of the early solar system. New thermal imaging is finally peeling back its scarred surface to reveal what lies beneath.
Using the ALMA telescope, researchers analyzed thermal data to peer into the top few centimeters of Callisto's surface (regolith).
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