Image Credit: Jinyi Yang, University of Arizona; Reidar Hahn, Fermilab; M. Newhouse NOAO/AURA/NSF
A Precocious Black Hole Behemoth at the Edge of Cosmic Dawn
Peering back in time, to an era when the Universe was only 5% of its current age, astronomers have spotted the most distant supermassive black hole discovered to date. The young black hole, which is rapidly feeding and growing, is already as massive as present-day black holes that reside at the centers of galaxies. The discovery, published in Nature, was made with data from the DECam Legacy Survey (DECaLS) that is being carried out with the CTIO Blanco telescope.
Read more in NOAO Press Release 17-07.
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NOAO invites community input on science opportunities of the coming decade in preparation for the Decadal Survey. To learn more and to contribute, visit our 2020 Decadal Survey planning page. -
Interstellar interloper 1I/2017 U1, recently spotted streaking through the Solar System, provides an up close look at an object from another planetary system. -
Cosmic Forge of Rare Heavy Elements Discovered.
View & Share the Trailer Video. Read more in the NOAO Press Release. -
A stunning collection of images showcased in the 8th International Earth & Sky Photo Contest highlights the beauty of the night sky and the battle with light pollution. -
The October 2017 NOAO Newsletter is ready to download. It contains sections on Science Highlights, Community Science & Data, System Observing, and NOAO Operations & Staff. -
Supernova Survivor Flung Far from Home: Forensic spectra taken with the KPNO Mayall telescope helps astronomers reconstruct a star’s perilous past. -
In 2013 a house-sized meteor exploded over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk. How many similar-sized rocks have orbits that bring them close to the Earth? Read more in NOAO Press Release 17-04.
