The biggest black holes in space
The biggest known black holes in the universe are called supermassive black holes. These black holes are significantly larger than stellar black holes, which form from the remnants of massive stars. Here are some of the largest black holes discovered so far:
1. TON 618: Located around 10.4 billion light-years away from Earth, TON 618 is one of the most massive black holes known. Its estimated mass is about 66 billion times that of our Sun, making it one of the largest known black holes in the universe.
2. S5 0014+81: This is another supermassive black hole with a mass estimated to be around 40 billion times that of the Sun. It is located in the center of a galaxy around 1.95 billion light-years away from Earth.
3. NGC 1277: Found in the center of the galaxy NGC 1277, this black hole has a mass of around 17 billion times that of the Sun. It is located approximately 220 million light-years away from Earth.
4. Messier 87 (M87): The supermassive black hole residing in the center of the galaxy Messier 87 gained significant attention due to the first ever direct image of a black hole captured by the Event Horizon Telescope. It has a mass estimated to be around 6.5 billion times that of the Sun and is located around 55 million light-years away.
It is important to note that there may be even larger black holes yet to be discovered as our knowledge of the universe continues to expand.