The Largest Black Holes in the Universe

Meet the new record-holder for the LARGEST BLACK HOLE IN THE UNIVERSE (so far) in this EXPANDED and UPDATED version (in 1080p) of our most popular Cosmic Journeys episode.

Our Milky Way may harbor millions of black holes... the ultra dense remnants of dead stars. But now, in the universe far beyond our galaxy, there's evidence of something far more ominous. A breed of black holes that has reached incomprehensible size and destructive power. Just how large, and violent, and strange can they get?

A new era in astronomy has revealed a universe long hidden to us. High-tech instruments sent into space have been tuned to sense high-energy forms of light -- x-rays and gamma rays -- that are invisible to our eyes and do not penetrate our atmosphere. On the ground, precision telescopes are equipped with technologies that allow them to cancel out the blurring effects of the atmosphere. They are peering into the far reaches of the universe, and into distant caldrons of light and energy. In some distant galaxies, astronomers are now finding evidence that space and time are being shattered by eruptions so vast they boggle the mind.

We are just beginning to understand the impact these outbursts have had on the universe: On the shapes of galaxies, the spread of elements that make up stars and planets, and ultimately the very existence of Earth. The discovery of what causes these eruptions has led to a new understanding of cosmic history. Back in 1995, the Hubble space telescope was enlisted to begin filling in the details of that history. Astronomers selected tiny regions in the sky, between the stars. For days at a time, they focused Hubble's gaze on remote regions of the universe.

These hubble Deep Field images offered incredibly clear views of the cosmos in its infancy. What drew astronomers' attention were the tiniest galaxies, covering only a few pixels on Hubble's detector. Most of them do not have the grand spiral or elliptical shapes of large galaxies we see close to us today.

Instead, they are irregular, scrappy collections of stars. The Hubble Deep Field confirmed a long-standing idea that the universe must have evolved in a series of building blocks, with small galaxies gradually merging and assembling into larger ones.

• Category

  • Science & Tech
  • Documentary
  • Nature

• Directed by:

  • Thomas Lucas

• Produced by:

  • Thomas Lucas

[Puffy Scruffy]

Black holes are like my brother when we buy some Ben and Jerry's.

[fattymcfatfatfatty1]

But will it blend?

[Ernest Bones]

why does it have to stop here tho? Why is it just this universe? billions upon billions of solar systems, stars, planets and black holes? Why do black holes have to destroy.. Wouldn't it be logical thinking that they create new life instead of just being vacuums of space? You can't just clean up the dirt and not expect new dirt to arrive in that spot.. Where do new gases and new material come from? Black holes have to have more of a meaning to their existence than just being big bad meanies.

[lastofmygeneration .]

Black Holes retain all the matter they devour and slowly, over long periods of time, particle by particle, they let a piece of you go near the event horizon or beyond. Eventually black holes evaporate.

[Ernest Bones]

Finding out where everything ends up after the black hole swallows it would be the greatest mind fuck ever.. do you think black holes create brand new universes? everything gets eaten and it gets transported into a brand new universe.. kinda like walking through a door?

[pimpsoldier0]

Black holes are like my asshole, because Im Black.

[timmy pinti]

som peopel always say the earth is not good i wanne live in the universe  i think if we live in the universe we have problems to the black holes :p

[LotionUpMyTots]

So black holes just burn and squish you. Lol

[kvnd7331]

no they are all microorganisms

[MrVinney96]

How are the locals? Are they nice?

[killeruna92]

whats the instrumental at starts at first minute in the intro.