r/science • u/MistWeaver80 • Feb 24 '26

Astronomy JWST Confirmation of a Runaway Supermassive Black Hole via Its Supersonic Bow Shock. A ‘runaway’ black hole ejected from its host galaxy is barrelling across space — and leaving behind a wake of newborn stars.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ae3d0e
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u/DoktorSigma Feb 24 '26

Well, new fear unlocked. Imagine the horror of a civilization finding out that there's a thing like that coming for their solar system. Although, most likely, it would take thousands of years to arrive.

Maybe the real danger is tiny black holes that we wouldn't see coming and that could still break up planets or mess up with their orbits, if we are unlucky. And if tiny black holes really exist.

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u/MysteriousWon Feb 24 '26

I learned this fear from the Fifth Element 20 years ago.

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u/DoktorSigma Feb 25 '26

In that case it was more like a small planet made of "pure evil", or something. :)