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Scientists celebrate a decade of listening to black holes

By Nell Greenfieldboyce

Published September 11, 2025 at 5:59 PM EDT

Researchers have spent 10 years improving the massive detectors they use to catch shockwaves from colliding black holes. Now the science is precise enough to test one of Stephen Hawking's key ideas.

Nell Greenfieldboyce

Nell Greenfieldboyce is a NPR science correspondent.

See stories by Nell Greenfieldboyce

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After 10 years of black hole science, Stephen Hawking is proven right

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Researchers have spent 10 years improving the massive detectors they use to catch shockwaves from colliding black holes, and now the science is precise enough to test one of Stephen Hawking's key ideas.
Solar flares are hotter than previously thought

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Solar flares can be many times the size of Earth and can damage things like satellites. A new study suggests that eruptions from the sun can be even hotter than researchers thought.
Why solar flares are way hotter than researchers thought

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The hottest parts of the sun are its solar flares, and a new study suggests these flares could be more than six times hotter than scientists used to believe.