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Black Hole

A graphic shows a dark but diffuse purple ring that is centered in the image. The dark purple fades into a bright purple, then a light blue that fades lighter towards the center where there is a bold, black circle.
Credit: NASA
Published: November 30, 2022

An illustration showing a face-on view of a black hole. The colors depicted in this illustration are for artistic purposes only.

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 An illustration of ESA's Euclid spacecraft.
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An illustration in multiple shades of blue depicting Euclid. The spacecraft has a cylindrical body with an open top and a flat, square base as well as a flat panel along its back.
Euclid
An illustration of NASA's SOFIA, a modified Boeing 747 aircraft.
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This illustration shows NASA's SOFIA in shades of blue. SOFIA is a modified Boeing 747SP aircraft, and so it is shaped like a commercial airplane, with the NASA and German Aerospace Center (DLR) logos on its tail.
SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy)
An illustration of a planetary nebula.An illustration of a planetary nebula. The colors depicted in this illustration are for artistic purposes only.
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A transparent, colorful hourglass shape has a central point that is a white circle surrounded by bright, light haze. Extending out from the center in opposite directions are plumes of color that form the hourglass shape. Each starts as blue near the central circle, then fades into a purplish pink color. The outline of the hourglass shape is wavy and white dots representing stars speckle the image.
Planetary Nebula (Version Two, Pink)
An illustration of JAXA's Suzaku spacecraft.
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This illustration shows the Suzaku spacecraft in shades of blue. The long body of the spacecraft is narrower at the top than at the bottom, which has a hollow area underneath. Solar panels extend to either side of the widest part of the body. Round circles representing the telescopes extend from the top of the narrowest part of the body.
Suzaku
An illustration showing a blue, side view of a barred spiral galaxy.
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An illustration has an elongated oval in light blue stretching across the center, outlined in a darker blue. Behind the strip is a diffuse, very light blue cloud that fades into a light blue and then a darker blue. All over the image are white speckles, representing stars.
Barred Spiral Galaxy (Side View, Blue)
An illustration showing the side of a purple spiral galaxy.
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A horizontal oval is outlined by a diffuse, bright purple surrounding a darker purple outline which fades through lighter and brighter purple colors as it moves inward. The center of the shape is a hazy yellow circle. Cutting across the center of the image is a flattened disc outlined in light blue with a blueish-gray center. White dots representing stars speckle the image.
Spiral Galaxy (Side View, Purple)
An illustration of NASA's GALEX spacecraft.
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GALEX is illustrated in multiple shades of blue. The spacecraft body is made up of a hexagonal object topped by a cylindrical object. Solar panels extend to either side.
GALEX (Galaxy Evolution Explorer)
An illustration of a planetary nebula.
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A subtly transparent, colorful hourglass shape has a central point that is a white circle surrounded by bright, white haze. Extending outward from the center in opposite directions are plums of color that form the hourglass shape. The central part of each plume starts as an icy, light blue and fades upward into a purple color and outward into red. White dots representing stars speckle the image.
Planetary Nebula (Version Two, Purple)
An illustration of a planetary nebula.
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In the background is a hazy pink and purple circle, with dark, transparent dark purple around the edge and lighter/brighter pinks leading inward. In front of the big circle is a purple object, shaped like a minimal, twisty lemon. Inside of this shape is a central, light yellow, cloudy circle with a bright white spot in the middle. All within the lemon-shaped object, the white spot is surrounded by a pink oblong oval shape which is overlapped by two large, pink circular shapes and two small, pink circular shapes. White dots representing stars speckle the image.
Planetary Nebula (Version One, Pink)
An illustration of NASA's NuSTAR space telescope.
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This illustration shows NASA's NuSTAR space telescope in shades of blue. Attached to the base of the instrument is a long, tower-like structure that extends out towards the front of the spacecraft that has a singular, wing-shaped solar array attached.
NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array)
An illustration of ESA's XMM Newton observatory.
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This illustration shows ESA's XMM-Newton observatory in shades of blue. Overall, the craft is dragonfly-shaped with a long, cylindrical body and an open "head" from which two solar array "wings" extend.
XMM Newton (X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission Newton)
An illustration of a planetary nebula.
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In the background is a hazy blue circle, with dark, transparent blue around the edge and lighter/brighter blues leading inward. In front of the blue circle is a blueish-gray object, shaped like a minimal, twisty lemon. Inside of this shape is a central, light yellow, cloudy circle with a bright white spot in the middle. All within the lemon-shaped object, the white spot is surrounded by an oblong oval shape which is overlapped by two large circular shapes and two small circular shapes. White dots representing stars speckle the image.
Planetary Nebula (Version One, Blue)
An illustration of a purple elliptical galaxy.
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A diffuse oval is outlined by dark purple but is primarily a medium, bright purple except for the center, a bright white spot surrounded by a small ring of white haze. White dots representing stars speckle the image.
Elliptical Galaxy (Purple)
An illustration of NASA's RXTE satellite.
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This illustration shows NASA's RXTE satellite in shades of blue. The satellite's main body is shaped like a rectangular box with two solar array "wings," one on either side.
RXTE (Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer)
An illustration of NASA’s BurstCube spacecraft.
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A graphic of BurstCube is shown in light and dark shades of blue. The satellite’s body is rectangular, with the long side facing the viewer. Solar panels are attached to the short, left-hand side.
BurstCube
An illustration of NASA's PIPER instrument.
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This illustration shows NASA's PIPER instrument in shades of blue. Piper has a cage-like structure with a large cylinder inside of it and smaller boxes attached around it. Long thin support pieces extend from the body upward, which will attach the payload to a large balloon.
PIPER (Primordial Inflation Polarization Explorer)
An illustration of NASA's SPHEREx spacecraft.
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This illustration of NASA's SPHEREx mission shows the spacecraft in shades of blue. The main body of the spacecraft is cone shaped with smaller cone shapes within it, with a solar array "wing" stemming from the side of the craft.
SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer)
An illustration of ESA's LISA Pathfinder spacecraft.
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This illustration shows ESA's LISA Pathfinder spacecraft in shades of blue. The craft has an octagonal shape with a relatively flat "face" with smaller components found around the sides of the spacecraft.
LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) Pathfinder
An illustration of a blue star-forming nebula.
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A large, amorphous blob in a circular shape has layers of transparent, hazy color overlapping. The different layers are a range of transparent blues, some greener shades than others. While white dots representing stars speckle the whole image, in the upper left part of this shape is a bright white circular cloud with more pronounced and larger stars grouped together.
Star-forming Nebula (Version Two, Blue)
An illustration of the EXCLAIM instrument.
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An illustration in multiple shades of blue depicting EXCLAIM. The instrument is made up of a hollow cylindrical object next to a rectangular object. The whole instrument sits within a framework that extends upwards to a point, where it will attach to a balloon.
EXCLAIM (Experiment for Cryogenic Large-Aperture Intensity Mapping)
An illustration of one of NASA's OAO spacecraft.
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This illustration shows one of NASA's OAO spacecraft in shades of blue. The body of the satellite is an octagon. The telescope opening is embedded at the top of the octagon, which also has a flap that is open. Two-layered solar panels are attached on both sides. Antennae extend from the top and bottom.
OAO (Orbiting Astronomical Observatory)
An illustration of NASA's COBE spacecraft.
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COBE is illustrated in light and dark blues. With two wings made up of three rectangular solar arrays each, the spacecraft's main body is made up of a striped, multi-sided cylinder with an attached cone-shaped structure on top.
COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer)
The history of the universe is outlined in this illustration. 
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This infographic is done in shades of blue and white. At the top left is the title: “History of the Universe.” Below that is a cone with graphics representing different stages of cosmic history within eight evenly spaced ovals. Below the cone is text connected to each oval indicating time since the beginning of the universe, the name of the cosmic era, and a brief description. The first oval on the left is filled with blobs, and the associated text reads: 10 to the negative 32 seconds, Inflation, and Initial expansion. Moving right, the next oval is filled with light (represented as squiggles), protons, and neutrons. The text below reads: one microsecond; first particles; and neutrons, protons, and electrons form. The next oval is filled with light (squiggles) and atomic nuclei. The text below reads: three minutes; first nuclei; and helium and hydrogen form. The next oval is filled with light (squiggles) and atoms. The text below reads: 380,000 years; first light; and the first atoms form. The next oval is filled with transparent areas of blue representing gas with a few dots representing stars. The text below reads: 200 million years; first stars; and gas and dust condense into stars. The next oval is filled with tightly packed galaxies with some transparent areas representing gas. The text below reads: 400 million years; galaxies and dark matter; and galaxies form in dark matter cradles. The next oval is filled with galaxies that have moved apart with stars in between. The text below reads: 10 billion years; dark energy; and expansion accelerates. The last oval is filled with galaxies that have moved far apart with stars in between. The text below reads: 13.8 billion years; today; and humans observe the universe.
History of the Universe
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HaloSat
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Supernova (Red)

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Black Holes News

A new collection of stunning images highlights data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes.
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A Fab Five: New Images with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory
A Fab Five: New Images with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory
When a star strays too close to a black hole, gravitational forces create tides that break the star apart into a stream of gas.
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NASA's Swift Learns a New Trick, Spots a Snacking Black Hole
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A powerful satellite called XRISM is set to provide astronomers with a revolutionary look at the X-ray sky.
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JAXA, NASA XRISM Mission Ready for Liftoff
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A Giant Black Hole Destroys a Massive Star
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XRISM Mission To Study ‘Rainbow' of X-rays
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Scientists have found evidence of a universal background of gravitational waves, or ripples in the fabric of space-time.
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15 Years of Radio Data Reveals Evidence of Space-Time Murmur
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Astronomers discovered an arrangement of 10 galaxies that existed just 830 million years after the big bang.
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NASA's Webb Identifies the Earliest Strands of the Cosmic Web
NASA's Webb Identifies the Earliest Strands of the Cosmic Web
In a study published June 7, in the journal Science Advances, scientists used NuSTAR to observe unique characteristics of the BOAT gamma-ray burst.
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Brightest Cosmic Explosion Ever Detected Had Other Unique Features
Brightest Cosmic Explosion Ever Detected Had Other Unique Features
Astronomers have come up with some of their best evidence yet for the presence of an "intermediate-sized" black hole.
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NASA's Hubble Hunts for Intermediate-Sized Black Hole Close to Home
NASA's Hubble Hunts for Intermediate-Sized Black Hole Close to Home
Astronomers used Chandra X-ray Observatory to make a map of the hot gas (pink) in and around M84.
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What Happens When Something Gets ‘Too Close' to a Black Hole?
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Two neutron stars begin to merge in this illustration, blasting a jet of high-speed particles and producing a cloud of debris.
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Neutron Stars Collide
Neutron Stars Collide
A supercomputer simulation shows what kind of light gas would produce around supermassive black holes as they merge.
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A Mesmerizing Model of Monster Black Holes
A Mesmerizing Model of Monster Black Holes
A new NASA animation highlights the “super” in supermassive black holes.
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NASA Animation Sizes Up the Universe's Biggest Black Holes
NASA Animation Sizes Up the Universe's Biggest Black Holes
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured this image of the lenticular galaxy NGC 3489.
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Hubble Sees Possible Runaway Black Hole Creating a Trail of Stars
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Hubble Unexpectedly Finds Double Quasar in Distant Universe
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Hubble Views an Intriguing Active Galaxy
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NASA Missions Study What May Be a 1-In-10,000-Year Gamma-ray Burst
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Chandra Helps Astronomers Discover a Surprisingly Lonely Galaxy
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Hubble Finds Hungry Black Hole Twisting Captured Star Into Donut Shape
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Astronomers Dig Out Buried Black Holes with NASA's Chandra
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NASA Missions Probe Game-Changing Cosmic Explosion
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