A black hole is a region in space-time, the gravitational attraction of which is so great that even light cannot leave it. Black holes that have grown to gigantic sizes form the nuclei of most galaxies.
A supermassive black hole is a black hole with a mass of about 105-1010 times the mass of the Sun. As of 2014, supermassive black holes have been found in the center of many galaxies, including our Milky Way.
The heaviest supermassive black hole outside of our galaxy is located in the galaxy in the giant elliptical galaxy NGC 4889 in the constellation Coma. Its mass is about 21 billion solar masses!
In this image - galaxy NGC 4889 is in the center. The same giant lurked somewhere. (Photo by NASA):
The generally accepted theory of the formation of black holes does not yet have such a mass. There are several hypotheses, the most obvious of which is a hypothesis describing a gradual increase in the mass of a black hole by the gravitational attraction of matter (usually gas) from outer space. The difficulty in forming a supermassive black hole is that enough matter must be concentrated in a relatively small volume.
A supermassive black hole and its accretion disk as seen by the artist. (Photo by NASA):
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Spiral galaxy NGC 4845 (type Sa) in the constellation Virgo, 65 million light-years from Earth. At the center of the galaxy is a supermassive black hole with a mass of about 230,000 solar masses. (Photo by NASA):
The Chandra X-ray Observatory (NASA) has recently provided evidence that many supermassive black holes rotate at tremendous speeds. The measured rotational speed of one of the black holes is 3.5 trillion. miles / hour is about half the speed of light, and its incredible gravity pulls the surrounding space for many millions of kilometers. (Photo by NASA):
Spiral galaxy NGC 1097 in the constellation Fornax. At the center of the galaxy is a supermassive black hole that is 100 million times heavier than our Sun. It sucks in any matter in the environment. (Photo by NASA):
The most powerful quasar in the galaxy Markarian 231 can receive energy from two black holes located in the center, which whirl around each other. According to scientists, the mass of the central black hole exceeds the solar mass by 150 million times, the mass of the satellite black hole is 4 million times larger than the solar one. This dynamic duo consumes galactic matter and generates enormous amounts of energy, causing a glow in the center of the galaxy that can dwarf the radiance of billions of stars.
Quasars are the brightest sources in the Universe, whose light is brighter than the radiance of their galaxies. There is a hypothesis that quasars are the nuclei of distant galaxies at a stage of unusually high activity. The quasar in the center of the Markarian 231 galaxy is the closest such object to us and manifests itself as a compact radio source. Scientists estimate its age at just a million years. (Photo by NASA):
The giant elliptical galaxy M60 and spiral galaxy NGC 4647 look like a very strange pair. They are both in the constellation Virgo. Bright M60, about 54 million light-years away, has a simple egg shape created by old stars swarming randomly. NGC 4647 (top right), by contrast, is composed of young blue stars, gas and dust, which are located in the swirling arms of a flat, rotating disk.
At the center of M60 is a supermassive black hole with 4.5 billion solar masses. (Photo by NASA):
Galaxy 4C + 29.30, located 850 million light years from Earth. At the center is a supermassive black hole. Its mass is 100 million times the mass of our Sun.
Astronomers have long sought confirmation that Sagittarius A, our supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, is the source of a jet of plasma. Finally, they found it - this is evidenced by the new results obtained by the Chandra X-ray observatory (Chandra) and the VLA radio telescope. This jet or jet is formed due to the absorption of matter by a supermassive black hole and its existence has long been predicted by theorists.
Using the highest quality X-ray images, astronomers have found the first obvious fact that massive black holes were similar in the Early Universe. Studies and observations of distant galaxies have shown that they all have similar supermassive black holes. At least 30 million supermassive similar black holes have been found in the Early Universe. This is 10,000 times more than previously thought.
The artist's drawing depicts a growing supermassive black hole. (Photo by NASA):
Barred spiral galaxy NGC 4945 (SBc) in the constellation Centaurus. It is quite similar to our Galaxy, but X-ray observations show the presence of a nucleus, probably containing an active supermassive black hole.
Cluster PKS 0745-19. The black hole at the center is one of the 18 largest known black holes in the universe. (Photo by NASA):
A powerful stream of particles from a supermassive black hole hitting a nearby galaxy. Astronomers have observed collisions of galaxies before, but such a "cosmic shot" was recorded for the first time. The "incident" took place in a star system located at a distance of 1.4 billion light years from Earth, where the process of merging of two galaxies is currently taking place. The "black hole" of the larger of the two galaxies, which astronomers compare to the "Death Star" from the epic "Star Wars", ejected a powerful stream of charged particles, which landed directly into the neighboring galaxy. (Photo by NASA):
Youngest black hole found. The progenitor of the newcomer was a supernova that erupted only 31 years ago. (Photo by Chandra X-ray Observatory Center):
Artistic depiction of a black hole engulfing outer space. Since the time of theoretical prediction of black holes, the question of their existence has remained open, since the presence of a “black hole” -type solution does not yet guarantee that there are mechanisms for the formation of such objects in the Universe. (Photo by NASA):
Flares on a black hole in spiral galaxy M83 (also known as South Pinwheel), captured by NASA's Chandra X-ray space observatory. South Pinwheel is approximately 15 million light-years distant. (Photo by NASA):
Barred spiral galaxy NGC 4639 in the constellation Virgo. NGC 4639 hides a massive black hole that engulfs cosmic gas and dust. (Photo by NASA):
Galaxy M 77 in the constellation Whale. In the center of it is a supermassive black hole. (Photo by NASA):
The artists depicted the black hole of our Galaxy - Sagittarius A *. It is an object of enormous mass. Based on the analysis of the orbital elements, it was initially determined that the object's weight is 2.6 million solar masses, and this mass is enclosed in a volume of no more than 17 light hours (120 AU) in diameter. (Photo by NASA):
Look into the mouth of a black hole. Astronomers of the Japanese aerospace agency JAXA managed to obtain a unique image of the black hole vent and rare phenomena in its vicinity using the NASA WISE infrared space laboratory. The object of observation WISE was a black hole 6 times the mass of the sun and listed in the catalogs under the name GX 339-4. Near GX 339-4, located at a distance of more than 20 thousand light years from Earth, a star revolves, the substance of which is pulled into a black hole under the influence of its monstrous gravitational field, which is 30 thousand times stronger than on the surface of our planet. In this case, part of this substance is ejected from the black hole in the opposite direction, forming jets of particles moving at near-light speeds. (Photo by NASA):
Galaxy NGC 3081 in the constellation Hydra. It is located at a distance of about 86 million light years from the solar system. Scientists believe there is a supermassive black hole at the center of NGC 3081. (Photo by NASA):
Sleeps and dreams. Nearly a decade ago, NASA's Chandra X-ray Space Observatory recorded signs of what appears to be a black hole that is swallowing gas right in the center of nearby Sculptor galaxy. And in 2013, NASA's NuSTAR space telescope, which detects hard X-rays, takes a quick glance in the same direction and discovers a peacefully sleeping black hole (it has become inactive over the past 10 years).
The mass of the sleeping black hole is about 5 million times that of our Sun. The black hole is located in the center of the Sculptor galaxy, also known as NGC 253. (Photo by NASA):
Plasma ejected by supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies can carry huge amounts of energy over gigantic distances. Region 3C353 is surrounded by plasma ejected by one of the black holes in X-ray light from the Chandra and Very Large Array telescopes. Against the background of giant "feathers", the galaxies' radiation looks like tiny dots in the center. (Photo by NASA):
So, according to the artist, a supermassive black hole with a mass from several million to billions of times the mass of our Sun can look like. The difficulty in forming a supermassive black hole is that enough matter must be concentrated in a relatively small volume. (Photo by NASA):