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On March 29, 2021, the Royal Astronomical Society published a study revealing this information.
The team of researchers from Durham University detected the black hole using gravitational lensing techniques, which enabled them to observe phenomena in the distant universe by studying how they interact with light passing through.
Dr. James Nightingale, the leader of the research team, expressed deep fascination with the discovery of this black hole, which has a mass approximately 30 billion times that of the Sun. He believes this size would position this black hole at the top of the modern scientific scale.
Dr. Nightingale shared with BBC Radio, “Even as an astronomer, I find it difficult to comprehend just how large this is. This black hole is larger than most galaxies in the universe.”
Dr. Nightingale mentioned that the absolute size pushes the scientific understanding of black holes to its limit. He also questions how a black hole with such an enormous mass could have formed within the 13-billion-year existence of the universe.
In the vast expanse of space, black holes stand as incredibly dense entities with an overpowering gravitational pull, trapping even light within their grasp. Among these celestial wonders, supermassive black holes reign as the largest objects in the universe, residing at the hearts of massive galaxies like the Milky Way.
Despite significant advancements in understanding black holes, mysteries still shroud our knowledge of supermassive black holes. The precise origin of these cosmic entities remains elusive, with a prevailing hypothesis suggesting their formation through the collisions of large galaxies billions of years ago during the early stages of the universe.
The findings presented in the report on March 29, 2021, trace back to 2004 when Professor Alastair Edge from Durham University first noticed a luminous ring while analyzing images from a deep-space galaxy survey.
The investigation of this celestial object, carried out with the support of Germany’s Max Planck Institute, incorporated high-resolution imaging from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and supercomputer facilities at Durham University, confirming the presence of this black hole.
The reѕeаrch on thіѕ сeleѕtial objeсt, сonduсted wіth the ѕuррort of Germаny’ѕ Mаx Plаnсk Inѕtіtute, іnvolved high-resolution іmаgіng from NASA’ѕ Hubble Sраce Teleѕсope аnd ѕuрercomрuter fасilities аt Durhаm Unіverѕіty, сonfіrmіng the рreѕence of thіѕ blасk hole.