Ultramassive black hole discovered by UK astronomers

An ultramassive black hole about 30bn times the mass of the Sun has been discovered by astronomers in the UK.

Ultramassive black holes are the most massive objects in the universe, at between 10bn and 40bn times the mass of the Sun. Astronomers believe they can be found at the centre of all large galaxies, such as the Milky Way.

Ultramassive black holes are rare and elusive, and their origins are unclear. Some believe they were formed from the extreme merger of massive galaxies billions of years ago when the universe was still young.

The scientists used supercomputer simulations at the university and images captured by the Hubble space telescope to confirm its size.

The research was supported by the UK Space Agency, the Royal Society, the Science and Technology Facilities Council, part of UK Research and Innovation, and the European Research Council.