Discovery of a Supermassive Black Hole That Grew by the Equivalent of a Star Every Day

A supermassive black hole was discovered that grew in mass by the equivalent of a star a day. The object at the center of this newly discovered quasar is one of the most massive black holes ever found: 17 billion times as massive as the sun.
Discovery of a Supermassive Black Hole That Grew by the Equivalent of a Star Every Day

A supermassive black hole was discovered that grew in mass by the equivalent of a star a day. The object at the center of this newly discovered quasar is one of the most massive black holes ever found: 17 billion times as massive as the sun.


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Confidence

100%

No Doubts Found At Time Of Publication

Sources

62%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Massive sun-devouring black hole found 'hiding in plain sight,' astronomer say

USA Today Wednesday, 21 February 2024 00:00
  • Unique Points
    • The black hole is nearly as old as the universe itself and roughly 17 billion times the size of our solar system's sun according to Australian National University astronomer Christian Wolf.
    • It was discovered by mistake in 1980 by European Southern Observatory, which mistook it for simply a star. It wasn't until last year that J0529-4351 was identified as a quasar.
  • Accuracy
    • A supermassive black hole was discovered that grew in mass by the equivalent of a star a day.
  • Deception (50%)
    The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title claims that the black hole was found 'hiding in plain sight', but this is not true as it has been known since 1980 and only recently identified as a quasar. Secondly, the author states that it's 500 trillion times brighter than our sun and devours one every single day, which is misleading because the brightness of a black hole cannot be measured in terms of luminosity like stars or galaxies. Thirdly, the article uses sensationalist language such as 'astoundingly massive', 'releasing an incredible amount of heat and light' and 'violent chaotic place for this record-breaker'. Fourthly, the author quotes Rachel Webster stating that matter was moving chaotically in the adolescent universe which is not true. Lastly, there are no sources disclosed in the article.
    • The title claims that the black hole was found 'hiding in plain sight', but this is not true as it has been known since 1980 and only recently identified as a quasar.
  • Fallacies (85%)
    The article contains several fallacies. The first is an appeal to authority when it states that the discovery of this black hole was a surprise because astronomers thought they knew about many other less impressive ones. This implies that the discovery should have been expected and therefore undermines their credibility as experts in their field.
    • It's 500 trillion times brighter than our sun and devours the equivalent of one every single day.
  • Bias (85%)
    The article is biased towards the discovery of a massive black hole and its implications. The language used to describe the black hole is sensationalized and exaggerated, such as 'hiding in plain sight' and being 'the brightest known object in the universe'. Additionally, there are multiple instances where comparisons are made between this black hole and others that have been discovered previously, which could be seen as a form of deception. The article also uses language to create an image of chaos surrounding the black hole, such as 'a violent' and 'chaotic place for this record-breaker'. This is not supported by any evidence presented in the article.
    • An accretion disc pumping out intense radiation around the black hole is where all the material waits to be devoured
      • In fact, a recently-discovered quasar with a black hole at its center just might be the brightest known object in the universe.
        • It’s 500 trillion times brighter than our sun
          • Today, stars are moving orderly at safe distances and only rarely plunge into black holes.
            • Wolf described it as a 'gigantic and magnetic storm cell' plagued by lightning where temperatures can reach more than18,000 degrees Fahrenheit
            • Site Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
              The article reports on the discovery of a massive black hole that devours suns. The author is Christopher Onken from Australian National University and Rachel Webster from the University of Melbourne. Both institutions are involved in space research and have access to powerful telescopes such as Very Large Telescope at European Southern Observatory.
              • Christopher Onken, an astronomer at Australian National University
                • Rachel Webster, a professor at the University of Melbourne
                • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
                  None Found At Time Of Publication

                76%

                The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
                (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

                A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

                The accretion of a solar mass per day by a 17-billion solar mass black hole

                Nature Magazine Webster, Rachel Thursday, 22 February 2024 16:02
                • Unique Points
                  • The article discusses the accretion of a solar mass per day by a 17-billion solar mass black hole.
                  • Schmidt, M. discovered the object with large redshift in 1963.
                  • Hoyle and Fowler proposed that strong radio sources are star-like objects in 1963.
                • Accuracy
                  • The accretion of a solar mass per day by a 17-billion solar mass black hole.
                  • It was discovered by mistake in 1980 by European Southern Observatory, which mistook it for simply a star. It wasn't until last year that J0529-4351 was identified as a quasar.
                • Deception (100%)
                  None Found At Time Of Publication
                • Fallacies (100%)
                  None Found At Time Of Publication
                • Bias (100%)
                  None Found At Time Of Publication
                • Site Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
                  The author of the article has a conflict of interest on several topics. The author is affiliated with Nature and has written articles for them in the past.
                  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
                    The author has multiple conflicts of interest on the topics provided. The article discusses Hoyle and Fowler's work in relation to strong radio sources, which they discovered together. Additionally, the authors mention their own previous research on black holes and accretion rates.

                    72%

                    The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
                    (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

                    A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

                    Is This Black Hole the Hungriest and the Brightest?

                    The New York Times Dennis Overbye Wednesday, 21 February 2024 13:55
                    • Unique Points
                      • A supermassive black hole was discovered that grew in mass by the equivalent of a star a day.
                      • The object at the center of this newly discovered quasar is one of the most massive black holes ever found: 17 billion times as massive as the sun.
                    • Accuracy
                      No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
                    • Deception (50%)
                      The author uses emotional manipulation and sensationalism to get the reader's attention. The article implies that this black hole is the hungriest and brightest in the universe without providing any peer-reviewed studies or evidence to back up these claims.
                      • `a supermassive black hole that was swallowing a star a day. That would be the mass equivalent of 370 suns a year disappearing down a cosmic gullet`
                      • `the hungriest, most luminous object in the visible universe`
                    • Fallacies (85%)
                      The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy when it states that the discovery of J0529-4351 is a significant find and has been published in Nature Astronomy. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric by stating that this object may be the hungriest, most luminous object in the visible universe.
                      • The discovery of J0529-4351 is a significant find and has been published in Nature Astronomy.
                    • Bias (85%)
                      The article discusses a supermassive black hole that was swallowing a star a day. The author claims it is the fastest growing black hole in the universe and one of the most massive ever found. However, other astrophysicists cast doubt on this claim by questioning their methods for estimating mass and luminosity.
                      • According to their estimates, this black hole tipped the scales as one of the most massive ever found: 17 billion times as massive as the sun
                        • The supermassive black hole was swallowing a star a day
                          • This object is called 'the fastest growing black hole in the universe'
                          • Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
                            Dennis Overbye has a conflict of interest on the topic of black holes as he is an author for The New York Times which owns and operates the European Southern Observatory.
                            • Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)
                              Dennis Overbye has a conflict of interest on the topic of black holes and quasars as he is affiliated with both the Australian National University and European Southern Observatory. He also reports for Associated Press which may have financial ties to these organizations.