Massive black hole enters the record books

Black holes are among the most powerful forces in the Universe. They are believed to be concentrated fields of gravity which are so powerful that nothing, not even light, can escape them.

Stellar black holes derive from the collapse of stars, but typically range from about three to 14 or 15 solar masses.

Another category of black holes are "supermassive" holes, spotted at the centre of galaxies, that have masses millions, even billions, times that of the Sun.