Visible light from black holes detected for first time

Scientists observing V404 Cygni discovered that even amateur telescopes are capable of capturing violent outburst from black holes closest to Earth

Astronomers have discovered that black holes can be observed through a simple optical telescope when material from surrounding space falls into them and releases violent bursts of light.

The apparent contradiction emerges when a black hole's gravity pulls in matter from nearby stars, producing light that can be viewed from a modest 20cm telescope.