Astronomers Detect 36-Billion-Solar-Mass Black Hole Through Cosmic Lens
An ultra-massive black hole, 36 billion times the Sun’s mass, hides in the Cosmic Horseshoe galaxy 5 billion light-years away, unveiled by a perfect Einstein Ring and precise stellar motion measurements.
The Cosmic Horseshoe Unveiled
Deep in space, 5 billion light-years away, lies a strange sight — a perfect ring of light shaped by the immense gravity of a hidden black hole.
KNOW
The Biggest Ever?
Astronomers believe this could be the most massive black hole ever measured — a staggering 36 billion times the Sun’s mass, pushing the limits of what’s possible in the universe.
A Lens Made of Spacetime
The black hole’s home galaxy bends and warps the light of a more distant galaxy, creating an enormous “Einstein Ring” — a cosmic magnifying glass predicted by Einstein’s theories.
How They Found It
By combining two powerful techniques — gravitational lensing and stellar kinematics — scientists measured both how the black hole bends light and how it speeds up stars around it.
A Silent Giant
This black hole isn’t actively devouring material right now. Instead, its presence is revealed only by its powerful gravity and the way it shapes its galaxy.
A Galaxy’s Endgame
The host galaxy is a “fossil group,” the result of many galaxies merging into one. Over time, their central black holes also combined, forming today’s ultramassive monster.
Why It Matters
Studying these rare giants helps astronomers understand how galaxies and black holes grow together — and how they eventually shut down star formation.
Looking Ahead
With this new measuring method, scientists can now detect other dormant giants across the cosmos, opening a new chapter in the study of the universe’s biggest black holes.
Source: University of California, Berkeley / Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
