supermassive black hole
Galaxy's gravitational core
A supermassive black hole is a black hole with a mass millions to billions of times that of the sun.
These exist at the centers of most large galaxies, including our own Milky Way.
The term distinguishes them from stellar black holes, which form from collapsed stars and are comparatively tiny: The supermassive black hole at our galaxy's center is called Sagittarius A*.
Black hole's edge
- Schwarzschild radiusBlack hole's critical boundary distance
- boundaryLine marking a limit
- point of no returnThreshold beyond which reversal impossible
- shadowLight blocked by object
Distortion of dimensional fabric
- gravitational lensingMass distorting light's path
- tidal forcesDifferential gravitational pull across bodies
- time dilationClocks slow at speed
- geodesicShortest curved-surface path
gravitational waves · relativistic effects · escape velocity
Dense hub of stars
- Milky WayGalaxy containing Earth
- nucleusCentral controlling part
- bulgeOutward curved projection
- galactic coreCentral region of galaxy
Theory merging spacetime and subatomic physics
- gravitational collapseInward fall from gravity
Luminous active galactic core
- coronaStar's outermost atmosphere
- luminosityIntrinsic brightness of source
- outflowsStreams moving away
- gas consumptionRate of fuel use
Existing from the start
- co-evolutionReciprocal evolutionary influence
- cosmologicalRelating to universe's origin/structure
Immensely large in scale
- colossalExtremely large in scale
- immenseExtremely large in scope
- vastExtremely great in size
- astronomicalRelating to outer space
gargantuan · mammoth · stupendous · unfathomable · monstrous · titanic · prodigious · enormous
event horizon
Black hole's edge
- Schwarzschild radiusBlack hole's critical boundary distance
- boundaryLine marking a limit
- point of no returnThreshold beyond which reversal impossible
spacetime curvature
Distortion of dimensional fabric
- gravitational lensingMass distorting light's path
- tidal forcesDifferential gravitational pull across bodies
- time dilationClocks slow at speed
geodesic · gravitational waves · relativistic effects · escape velocity
galactic center
Dense hub of stars
quantum gravity
Theory merging spacetime and subatomic physics
- gravitational collapseInward fall from gravity
quasar
Luminous active galactic core
- coronaStar's outermost atmosphere
- luminosityIntrinsic brightness of source
- outflowsStreams moving away
primordial
Existing from the start
- co-evolutionReciprocal evolutionary influence
- cosmologicalRelating to universe's origin/structure
LISA
Planned orbital interferometer
- spectroscopyStudy of light-matter interaction
gigantic
Immensely large in scale
astronomical · gargantuan · mammoth · stupendous · unfathomable · monstrous · titanic · prodigious · enormous
- space objectsgalaxy, star cluster, nebula, planet, quasar
- space phenomenastars, black hole, meteors, wormhole, dark energy
- Black Holesevent horizon, singularity, Schwarzschild radius, event horizons, singularities
- galaxy partsgalactic core, spiral arms, galactic center, spiral arm, nucleus
- Stellar Objectsneutron star, white dwarf, black hole, pulsar, magnetar
- galactic center
supermassive black holeatom
Element's smallest unit
electron · subatomic particle · quark · neutrino · asteroid
supermassive black holewhite hole
Ejecting singularity, theoretical opposite
dark energy · Big Bang · cosmic inflation · antigravity · expanding universe
massive, superb, superior, superiority, supremacy, supreme, supremely, masses, massed