This Huge Galaxy Has the Biggest Black Hole Ever Measured

The monster black hole in galaxy cluster Abell 85 is roughly the size of our solar system, but packs the mass of 40 billion suns.

By Erika K. Carlson
Dec 5, 2019 10:00 PMDec 5, 2019 10:23 PM
Abell 85 Cluster
The Abell 85 galaxy cluster, shown here, is home to the largest black hole known in the universe. (Credit: Matthias Kluge/USM/MPE)

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Astronomers have found the biggest black hole ever measured — it's 40 billion times the sun’s mass, or roughly two-thirds the mass of all stars in the Milky Way. The gargantuan black hole lurks in a galaxy that’s supermassive itself and probably formed from the collisions of at least eight smaller galaxies. 

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