The largest black hole ever discovered can fit 30 billion suns. We found it with gravity and bent light

Astronomers discovered the largest black hole ever seen thanks to its ability to bend light. (Image credit: ESA/Hubble, Digitized Sky Survey, Nick Risinger (skysurvey.org), N. Bartmann)

A team of astronomers have discovered the largest black hole ever, situated million of lightyears away. The discovery was actually an accident. The astronomers were looking at a different galaxy, much farther than the one where the found the black hole

A group of astronomers discovered the largest black hole known to mankind, using some really unconventional methods. The astronomers found the black hole using bent light and gravity.

Astronomers have identified that the massive colossal black hole, which possesses a mass equivalent to 30 billion suns, is at the centre of a galaxy situated millions of light-years away from our planet. Referred to as an ultramassive black hole, it distinguishes itself from the typical supermassive black holes found in galaxies, which typically range in mass from a few million to a few billion solar masses.

This mammoth black hole was detected by accident. The team of astronomers, lead by James Nightingale, an astrophysicist at Durham University in the UK were studying a galaxy that is positioned even farther from Earth than the one housing the enormous black hole.

By leveraging the gravitational pull of the foreground galaxy to amplify the background object, astronomers employed a phenomenon called gravitational lensing. This occurrence arises from the gravitational force of immensely massive objects curving light around them. Acting as a natural telescope, gravitational lensing frequently aids astronomers in enhancing the magnification of objects located too far away to be effectively observed by human-made telescopes.

“This remarkable black hole, with a mass approximately 30 billion times that of our sun, represents one of the largest ever detected and pushes the boundaries of our theoretical understanding of black hole sizes. Consequently, its discovery is incredibly exhilarating,” stated James Nightingale, an astrophysicist from Durham University in the U.K. and the leading author of the recent study.

To determine the size of this black hole, the team conducted a thorough analysis of the magnification exhibited by the foreground object in a sequence of images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. Employing advanced computer modelling techniques, the scientists simulated the extent to which light bends around the foreground galaxy housing the black hole. By testing thousands of black hole sizes, they eventually identified a solution that aligned with the observed data.

Situated within one of the galaxies comprising the Abell 1201 galaxy cluster, this black hole represents the inaugural discovery utilizing the aforementioned method. Although possessing an immense mass, the black hole displays minimal activity, indicating a relatively low intake of matter and a subsequent absence of intense X-ray radiation. Such black holes prove exceedingly challenging to investigate using alternative approaches.

“The majority of the largest known black holes are in an active state, where matter drawn close to the black hole becomes heated and emits energy in the form of light, X-rays, and other types of radiation. However, gravitational lensing provides us with the opportunity to study dormant black holes, which is currently not feasible when examining distant galaxies. This method has the potential to uncover numerous black holes beyond our immediate cosmic neighbourhood and shed light on the evolutionary process of these enigmatic entities in earlier cosmic eras,” he added.