Andromeda contains dozens of reported candidate stellar-mass black holes in surveyed regions, but astronomers have not produced a complete count for the galaxy. The candidates are inferred from X-rays emitted by material falling onto a black hole, not photographed directly. Andromeda also has a separate supermassive black hole at its center, which is not part of those candidate tallies.
How many black holes have astronomers found in Andromeda?
There is no confirmed, galaxy-wide total. The best-known figures are counts from particular studies, with different observing areas and classification methods:
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| Study | What it reported | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| Chandra analysis reported by NASA in 2013 | 26 newly identified candidates; nine previously identified candidates brought the reported regional total to 35 | A tally for the surveyed region, not a census of all Andromeda |
| Barnard et al., 2014 preprint | 50 candidates: 42 classified as strong and eight as plausible | A later study’s classifications; not an additional 50 to add to the 2013 figure |
| NuSTAR survey published in 2024 | 20 sources detected at 2-sigma in the 4–25 keV band; 14 treated as X-ray-binary candidates; nine tentatively classified as compact objects, including three black holes and six neutron stars | A limited survey of part of Andromeda’s disk, not a whole-galaxy count |
The 2013 tally came from 152 Chandra observations spanning about 13 years. The 2014 figure uses its own study criteria and confidence categories, so the two totals should be attributed separately rather than combined. The 2024 NuSTAR work used ten moderate-depth observations covering about 0.45 square degrees. Its tentative classifications are specific to that survey and should not be generalized to the rest of the galaxy.
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How can astronomers detect a black hole they cannot see?
A black hole itself does not shine like a star. In an X-ray binary, however, its gravity can pull gas from a companion star. As that material heats up while falling inward, it emits X-rays that telescopes can detect.
For the Chandra candidates, researchers considered X-ray brightness, color and changes in brightness over time to distinguish likely stellar-mass systems from background sources and possible neutron-star systems. XMM-Newton spectra supported some classifications. These observations identify likely black-hole systems indirectly; they do not provide direct images of the black holes. NASA’s explanation of the Chandra identification method also notes why many black holes are missed: as lead author Robin Barnard put it, “Most black holes won’t have close companions and will be invisible to us.”
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Are Andromeda’s candidate black holes near its center?
Some are. In the 2013 report, seven of the 35 candidates were within 1,000 light-years of Andromeda’s center. The researchers connected this concentration to the galaxy’s larger central stellar bulge. That result describes the candidates in the surveyed sample, not the full distribution of every black hole in Andromeda. NASA summarizes the finding in its 2013 Chandra release.
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M31*, the dark object at the galaxy’s center, is a supermassive black hole—a different category from the stellar-mass candidates found in X-ray binaries. NASA’s Hubble account gives a historical mass estimate of 140 million solar masses, based on stellar motions around the central object. That mass estimate is not a count of smaller black holes. See NASA’s Hubble summary of the central black hole.
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Why the published counts are not a complete census
- Only some black holes are observable this way. X-ray searches favor systems actively accreting material, often from a close companion. Isolated black holes and quiet systems can escape detection.
- Surveys cover limited regions. The Chandra results describe an observed region, while the NuSTAR survey focused on part of the disk.
- Studies use different methods and confidence labels. Instruments, energy ranges, selection rules and categories such as “strong,” “plausible” or “tentative” affect which sources make a candidate list.
- Models are not telescope counts. A 2023 MOCCA paper models black-hole populations in globular clusters for Milky Way-like and Andromeda-like galaxies. Its simulated populations concern model assumptions and cluster dynamics; they are not a direct count of observed M31 black holes. See the 2023 MOCCA modeling study.
So “teeming” is a vivid description rather than a measured census: observations support dozens of candidates in particular studies, while the actual number of black holes across Andromeda remains undetermined.
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