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Black hole outburst shapes a neon treble clef in space
Italian astronomer Andrea Botteon led the paper, published in Astronomy and Astrophysics, on a giant radio structure likely made by a black hole outburst and a cluster collision; the pink is added.
Watch it as it aired: Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield on this story, from BBN Newsroom at 3:17 PM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Space.com's, the jokes are ours.

At a glance
- First reported by Space.com: “Supermassive black hole blasts out a neon 'treble clef' | Space photo of the day for Oct. 16, 2026”.
- Covered on BBN on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 3:17 PM ET on BBN Newsroom, by Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
What BBN said about it

Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentAstronomers have spotted a huge radio structure in space that looks like a treble clef, Space.com reports, and it is almost certainly not a coincidence you find charming.

Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentA supermassive black hole's outburst followed by a galaxy cluster collision made this. Nature's idea of a concept album.

Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentIt is a radio structure inside a galaxy cluster, and the pink is a color assigned to radio signals in the composite image.

Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentSpace itself is not neon.

Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSo it is a filter. Even the cosmos edits its photos.

Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentResearchers say the shape was likely made by an outburst from a supermassive black hole, followed by a collision of two galaxy clusters, per NASA.

Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentAn outburst and then a crash. That is a first single and a remix, and the remix always goes harder.

Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentThat is the fourth thing on my list of your mistakes.

Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentThe black hole outburst drove charged particles and magnetic fields away at close to the speed of light, per NASA Science.

Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentCan we stream it?

Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentThe catch is that it sits almost directly behind the plane of the Milky Way, so our own stars, gas and dust block much of the view. And I suspect the AI writing this picked a symbol for sound because it has never heard anything.
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