VERY LARGE TELESCOPE FINDS NEW SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE
All About Space|Issue 128
Scientists spotted the supermassive black hole hiding inside thick cosmic dust
Samantha Mathewson
VERY LARGE TELESCOPE FINDS NEW SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE

A supermassive black hole masked by a cloud of cosmic dust was found at the centre of an active galaxy in new images from the European Southern Observatory (ESO). The galaxy, known as Messier 77 or NGC 1068, is a barred spiral galaxy located about 47 million light years from Earth in the constellation of Cetus. Taken by the ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) in northern Chile, the observations shed new light on galaxies that have active galactic nuclei (AGN) at their core. These bright features are fuelled by all the gas and dust that falls into the galaxy's central black hole, causing the area to outshine the rest of the galaxy.

"Our results should lead to a better understanding of the inner workings of AGN," said Violeta Gámez Rosas from Leiden University in The Netherlands. “They could also help us better understand the history of the Milky Way. which harbours a supermassive black hole at its centre that may have been active in the past."

This story is from the Issue 128 edition of All About Space.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the Issue 128 edition of All About Space.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM ALL ABOUT SPACEView All
"We knew that this would be a historic comet"
All About Space UK

"We knew that this would be a historic comet"

Astronomer David Levy was immortalised for his co-discovery of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 – its impact with Jupiter 29 years ago held the world in awe

time-read
8 mins  |
Issue 145
CELESTRON STARSENSE EXPLORER DX 102AZ
All About Space UK

CELESTRON STARSENSE EXPLORER DX 102AZ

Innovative technology provides the simplest and quickest solution yet to finding objects to observe, and this instrument will be very popular with beginners

time-read
7 mins  |
Issue 146
MOON TOUR - COPERNICUS
All About Space UK

MOON TOUR - COPERNICUS

Get up close to the ‘Monarch of the Moon’

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 146
A HUNGRY BLACK HOLE 'SWITCHES ON' AS ASTRONOMERS WATCH IN SURPRISE
All About Space UK

A HUNGRY BLACK HOLE 'SWITCHES ON' AS ASTRONOMERS WATCH IN SURPRISE

J221951 is one of the most extreme examples yet

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 146
MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE - WHY DOES JUPITER CHANGE COLOUR?
All About Space UK

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE - WHY DOES JUPITER CHANGE COLOUR?

For years, scientists have tried to work out why Jupiter’s bands frequently move and change colour. Now they believe they’ve found the answer

time-read
7 mins  |
Issue 146
MARS HELICOPTER PHONES HOME AFTER A 63-DAY SILENCE
All About Space UK

MARS HELICOPTER PHONES HOME AFTER A 63-DAY SILENCE

Rugged terrain had kept Ingenuity from communicating with its robotic partner, the Perseverance rover

time-read
1 min  |
Issue 146
SIX OF THE BEST SPACE PRANKS
All About Space UK

SIX OF THE BEST SPACE PRANKS

It turns out that the sky isn’t the limit when it comes to a good old-fashioned practical joke

time-read
4 mins  |
Issue 146
CLIMATES CHANGE IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM
All About Space UK

CLIMATES CHANGE IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM

Alongside Earth, our planetary neighbourhood is changing. But not for the better…

time-read
8 mins  |
Issue 146
TIME APPEARED TO MOVE FIVE TIMES SLOWER IN THE FIRST BILLION YEARS AFTER THE BIG BANG
All About Space UK

TIME APPEARED TO MOVE FIVE TIMES SLOWER IN THE FIRST BILLION YEARS AFTER THE BIG BANG

Time dilation, brought about by the relativistic expansion of space, has resulted in the observed slowing of ‘clocks’ in the early universe

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 146
WHAT CAN WE DO WITH A CAPTURED ASTEROID?
All About Space UK

WHAT CAN WE DO WITH A CAPTURED ASTEROID?

Asteroids could provide us with rare resources

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 146