Astronomers say they have discovered a black hole so big that it challenges the theory about how they grow. Scientists said this black hole was formed about 900 million years after the Big Bang. But with measurements indicating it is 12 billion times the size of the sun, the black hole challenges a widely accepted hypothesis of growth rates. "Based on previous research, this is the largest black hole found for that period of time," Fuyan Bian, Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University (ANU), told Reuters on Wednesday. "Current theory is for a limit to how fast a black hole can grow, but this black hole is too large for that theory." The discovery was described in a study published Wednesday in Nature.

more @
http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/astronomers-find-supermassive-black-hole-12-billion-times-size-sun-n312781

I forget.  How does a black hole happen again?

It's not really a hole, but a dead star that collapsed on itself? 

Quote from: walkstall on February 25, 2015, 09:31:28 PM


Astronomers say they have discovered a black hole so big that it challenges the theory about how they grow. Scientists said this black hole was formed about 900 million years after the Big Bang. But with measurements indicating it is 12 billion times the size of the sun, the black hole challenges a widely accepted hypothesis of growth rates. "Based on previous research, this is the largest black hole found for that period of time," Fuyan Bian, Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University (ANU), told Reuters on Wednesday. "Current theory is for a limit to how fast a black hole can grow, but this black hole is too large for that theory." The discovery was described in a study published Wednesday in Nature.

more @
http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/astronomers-find-supermassive-black-hole-12-billion-times-size-sun-n312781

At first blush, I wanted to say, "How did they miss something that big all these years?" But in astronomical terms, 12 billion times the size of our relatively puny sun ain't that big. Consider that there are known stars with nearly 3 million times the volume of our sun. Add to that the fact that black holes are known for being, well, black, and therefore a bit more difficult to detect, at least initially, than your average heavenly body.

Quote from: TboneAgain on February 26, 2015, 10:50:20 AM
At first blush, I wanted to say, "How did they miss something that big all these years?" But in astronomical terms, 12 billion times the size of our relatively puny sun ain't that big. Consider that there are known stars with nearly 3 million times the volume of our sun. Add to that the fact that black holes are known for being, well, black, and therefore a bit more difficult to detect, at least initially, than your average heavenly body.

They say now the nearest black hole to Earth is V404 Cygni located 7,800 light-years from Earth.   

Quote from: walkstall on February 26, 2015, 11:01:19 AM
They say now the nearest black hole to Earth is V404 Cygni located 7,800 light-years from Earth.

Shoot. That's only 45,783,766,080,000,000 miles. Why am I getting excited about my upcoming trip to Texas, a whopping 1,200 miles?

Quote from: TboneAgain on February 26, 2015, 10:50:20 AM
At first blush, I wanted to say, "How did they miss something that big all these years?" But in astronomical terms, 12 billion times the size of our relatively puny sun ain't that big. Consider that there are known stars with nearly 3 million times the volume of our sun. Add to that the fact that black holes are known for being, well, black, and therefore a bit more difficult to detect, at least initially, than your average heavenly body.

Yeah, it's all relative, especially if it a billion light years away, which would make a tiny on a universal scale.
Then there's the issue of a billion light years, Hell, it may already completely collapsed in on itself and is starting the process of creation of a whole new galaxy.

Of course I didn't read the article and am only speculating, but I think a trip to Texas is probably doable within a year, but don't bank on two, that's a big black hole!

Quote from: Dori on February 26, 2015, 10:43:32 AM
I forget.  How does a black hole happen again?

It's not really a hole, but a dead star that collapsed on itself?

Yes, and this one, gobbled up most of the galaxy it was in already. Nothing really earth shattering here.