NGC 6240: A supermassive black hole in the constellation Ophiuchus. Like many merging galaxies, NGC 6240 offers not one supermassive black hole but two. Eventually, though, they will merge to form a single object. The two galaxies of NGC 6240 began their merger process about 30 million years ago (as seen from Earth). Gravitational interactions between the two disk-shaped galaxies pulled out great streamers of millions of stars that spread across hundreds of tho... More »

Jetting Away from a Black Hole Astronomers watch a powerful jet of particles develop after a black hole demolished and began ingesting a star that passed too close Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden - July 6, 2016 Massive Collapse Astronomers have discovered evidence that gas in the universe collapsed to form a supermassive black hole University of Texas at Austin - July 6, 2016 More headlines » Video: Stranger Than Fiction The concept of black holes has intrigued scientists for hundreds of years. For an introduction to the topic, watch "Black Holes: Stranger than Fiction," the latest video from the Texas Cosmology Center at The University of Texas at Austin. Pop Culture Check out our selection of some of the best — and worst — roles played by black holes in movies, TV shows, books, and music. More »