An artist’s illustration of a supermassive black hole, actively feasting on its surroundings. The central black hole is hidden from direct view by a thick layer of encircling gas and dust. Credit: NASA/ESA.
Using NASA’s Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) satellite observatory, a Durnham University team detected high-energy xrays from 5 supermassive black holes previously clouded from direct view by dust and gas. It supports the theory that potentially millions more supermassive black holes exist in the Universe, but are hidden from view.
The scientists pointed NuSTAR at 9 candidate hidden supermassive black holes that were thought to be extremely active at the centre of galaxies, but where the full extent of this activity was potentially obscured from view.
High-energy x-rays found for 5, hidden by dust and gas and were much brighter and more active than previously thought as they rapidly feasted on surrounding material and emitted large amounts of radiation.
Such observations were not possible before NuSTAR, which launched in 2012 and is able to detect much higher energy x-rays than previous satellite observatories. “High-energy X-rays are more penetrating than low-energy X-rays, so we can see deeper into the gas burying the black holes.” http://www.ras.org.uk/news-and-press/2655-universe-s-hidden-supermassive-black-holes-revealed
NuSTAR satellite observatory in orbit. The unique 10 metre long mast allows NuSTAR to focus high energy X-rays. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.
A Hubble Space Telescope colour image of one of the 9 galaxies targeted by NuSTAR. The high energy X-rays detected by NuSTAR revealed the presence of an extremely active supermassive black hole at the galaxy centre, deeply buried under a blanket of gas and dust. Credit: Hubble Legacy Archive, NASA, ESA.
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