Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In the centre of our galaxy sits a monster 4.3 million times the mass of the sun. But Sagittarius A* is tiny compared with other black holes in the universe, with some reaching up to 40 billion times the mass of the sun. They are the point where our laws of physics break, and how these giants get so big has puzzled scientists for decades.
Becky Smethurst is an astrophysicst at the University of Oxford and her work looks at how these behemoths affect the galaxy around them. New Scientist's digital features editor, Jacklin Kwan, sat down with her to discuss what black holes are, how the supermassive ones get so big and Smethurst's amazing career.
You can find more from Becky over on her YouTube channel @DrBecky
❤️ Love New Scientist? For a specially discounted New Scientist digital subscription, go to bit.ly/3OFhwvL
⭐️ We have a podcast, too: Subscribe to @TheWorldTheUniverseAndUs
🛍️ Check out our shop for the smartest gifts - shop.newscientist.com
MORE FROM NEW SCIENTIST
─────────────────────────────
🌐 Website: newscientist.com
📸 Instagram: bit.ly/NSYTINSTA
📘 Facebook: bit.ly/NSYTFB
🐦 Twitter: bit.ly/NSYTTW
📈 LinkedIn: bit.ly/NSYTLIN
About New Scientist:
New Scientist was founded in 1956 for “all those interested in scientific discovery and its social consequences”. Today our website, videos, newsletters, app, podcast and print magazine cover the world’s most important, exciting and entertaining science news as well as asking the big-picture questions about life, the universe, and what it means to be human.
New Scientist
newscientist.com
00:00:00 Intro
00:00:45 What is a black hole?
00:02:38 Supermassive black holes
00:05:30 What galaxies tell us about black holes
00:09:00 How big can black holes actually get?
00:14:22 What types of galaxies are there?
00:18:47 How do you grow a black hole?
00:21:38 Why do we care about black holes?
00:26:00 James Webb Space Telescope discoveries
00:31:26 Are there black holes we can't see?
00:35:12 The different kinds of black holes
00:40:40 Planet Nine
00:42:25 How do we know about dark matter?
00:47:20 The edge of physics
00:49:40 The questions we're answering now
00:52:15 Living at a telescope
00:54:50 Dr Becky on YouTube
00:57:23 The fate of our own galaxy
#science #space #documentary #galaxy #solarsystem #nasa #universe #blackhole
In the centre of our galaxy sits a monster 4.3 million times the mass of the sun. But Sagittarius A* is tiny compared with other black holes in the universe, with some reaching up to 40 billion times the mass of the sun. They are the point where our laws of physics break, and how these giants get so big has puzzled scientists for decades.
Becky Smethurst is an astrophysicst at the University of Oxford and her work looks at how these behemoths affect the galaxy around them. New Scientist's digital features editor, Jacklin Kwan, sat down with her to discuss what black holes are, how the supermassive ones get so big and Smethurst's amazing career.
You can find more from Becky over on her YouTube channel @DrBecky
❤️ Love New Scientist? For a specially discounted New Scientist digital subscription, go to bit.ly/3OFhwvL
⭐️ We have a podcast, too: Subscribe to @TheWorldTheUniverseAndUs
🛍️ Check out our shop for the smartest gifts - shop.newscientist.com
MORE FROM NEW SCIENTIST
─────────────────────────────
🌐 Website: newscientist.com
📸 Instagram: bit.ly/NSYTINSTA
📘 Facebook: bit.ly/NSYTFB
🐦 Twitter: bit.ly/NSYTTW
📈 LinkedIn: bit.ly/NSYTLIN
About New Scientist:
New Scientist was founded in 1956 for “all those interested in scientific discovery and its social consequences”. Today our website, videos, newsletters, app, podcast and print magazine cover the world’s most important, exciting and entertaining science news as well as asking the big-picture questions about life, the universe, and what it means to be human.
New Scientist
newscientist.com
00:00:00 Intro
00:00:45 What is a black hole?
00:02:38 Supermassive black holes
00:05:30 What galaxies tell us about black holes
00:09:00 How big can black holes actually get?
00:14:22 What types of galaxies are there?
00:18:47 How do you grow a black hole?
00:21:38 Why do we care about black holes?
00:26:00 James Webb Space Telescope discoveries
00:31:26 Are there black holes we can't see?
00:35:12 The different kinds of black holes
00:40:40 Planet Nine
00:42:25 How do we know about dark matter?
00:47:20 The edge of physics
00:49:40 The questions we're answering now
00:52:15 Living at a telescope
00:54:50 Dr Becky on YouTube
00:57:23 The fate of our own galaxy
#science #space #documentary #galaxy #solarsystem #nasa #universe #blackhole
