Scientists have spotted what's thought to be the largest black hole ever recorded - estimated to be the size of 36 billion suns.
The newly-found giant has been located five billion light-years from Earth in a galaxy called the Cosmic Horseshoe.
The colossus is believed to weigh at least 10,000 times more the supermassive black hole found in the centre of the Milky Way galaxy.
**ARE YOU READING THIS ON OUR APP? DOWNLOAD NOW FOR THE BEST GB NEWS EXPERIENCE**
The colossus is believed to weigh at least 10,000 times more the supermassive black hole found in the centre of the Milky Way
| GETTYScientists have said that the size and weight of the new discovery pushes the limit of what is physically possible in the universe as we understand it.
Professor Thomas Collett, co-author of the study from the University of Portsmouth, said: "This is amongst the top 10 most massive black holes ever discovered, and quite possibly the most massive."
Researchers for the study believe that this gigantic black hole's mass is linked to the size of the galaxy where it was discovered.
The Cosmic Horseshoe galaxy was discovered in 2007 by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and has an estimated mass over one hundred times that of the Milky Way.
It belongs to a rare group of galaxies known as red luminous galaxies, which has an incredibly bright infrared emission.
The Cosmic Horseshoe galaxy (pictured) was discovered in 2007 by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey
|WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Collett said: "We think the size of both is intimately linked, because when galaxies grow they can funnel matter down onto the central black hole."
Scientists are particularly intrigued by the Cosmic Horseshoe as it is what astronomers label as a "fossil group " - a mammoth structure left behind following a galaxy structure collapsing in on itself.
Collett added: "It is likely that all of the supermassive black holes that were originally in the companion galaxies have also now merged to form the ultramassive black hole that we have detected.
"So we're seeing the end state of galaxy formation and the end state of black hole formation."
SPACE - READ THE LATEST
Even though the black hole is potentially the largest ever to be found, detecting its existence was an incredibly difficult task for scientists.
Black holes situated billions of light-years away from Earth are usually visible when they are consuming matter from the galaxy where they are found.
But the newly-found black hole in the Cosmic Horseshoe is "dormant", meaning that is is not consuming any more matter from the galaxy or producing any radiation, which makes it harder for scientists to spot.
Collett and his team of researchers instead came across it by noticing the black hole's huge gravitational effect on the space surrounding it.
Astronomers estimate that roughly 100 million black holes could be roaming the stars of the Milky Way galaxy
|GETTY
The astrophysicist said: "We detected the effect of the black hole in two ways - it is altering the path that light takes as it travels past the black hole and it is causing the stars in the inner regions of its host galaxy to move extremely quickly - almost 400 km/s.
"By combining these two measurements, we can be completely confident that the black hole is real."
Scientists are hoping that these methods could help them find and measure black holes in other corners of the universe.
Astronomers estimate that roughly 100 million black holes could be roaming the stars of the Milky Way galaxy alone.