A new study in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society suggests that a mysterious object just 90 million light years away from Earth could be a supermassive black hole.
The team of international scientists' findings suggest that the object is a black hole that was "kicked out of its home galaxy during a collision with another galaxy," Science magazine reports. If their findings are proven accurate, the black hole would be the first "evictee" to be confirmed by astronomers.
The unknown object, SDSS1133, is roughly 2,600 light years away from the center of the Markarian 177 galaxy. The object, probed by NASA's Swift mission, has "brightened substantially" in the last two years, Science reports. But since it has been seen in various images for the past 63 years, leading scientists to believe it's not an exploded supernova.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The new research reveals areas of star formation in the Markarian 177 galaxy, which could prove that a recent galactic collision forced SDS1133 out of its parent galaxy. If the object isn't a black hole, it might also be a "luminous blue variable," an extremely rare star. Scientists plan to study the object with ultraviolet wavelengths next year to gain further insight about what it may be.
-
August 31 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include FEMA's new scheme, Gavin Newsom's antics, and a clue in the Epstein files
-
Disarming Hezbollah: Lebanon's risky missionTalking Point Iran-backed militia has brought 'nothing but war, division and misery', but rooting them out for good is a daunting and dangerous task
-
Woof! Britain's love affair with dogsThe Explainer The UK's canine population is booming. What does that mean for man's best friend?
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
