The top stories from Sunday's Home+Life section in the Arizona Daily Star.
The sharpest images yet of a supermassive black hole have been captured by University of Arizona astronomers at the Steward Observatory.
The team described how they captured the infrared image of the supermassive black hole using a Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI), in their study published Friday.
The LBTI is unique for its structure, containing two 8.4-meter mirrors that function separately. This is the first time constructive interference was used, which combines the mirrors to produce a higher resolution image, to capture not only the black hole, but the entities around it.
Supermassive black holes are referred to as active galactic nuclei (AGN) when they are in the center of a galaxy and active.
The more they consume, the brighter they are.
People are also reading... Tucson driver races through fatal crash scene, killed in separate wreck At 10 months old, elephant calf Meru might have a new best friend 🐘 42 fun events happening in Tucson this weekend Jan. 16-19 🎵📚 New casino on Tucson's west side set for 2026 opening Tucson Chef Travis Peters leaves The Parish for new venture Migrant woman's body found at border wall in AZ; teen son sought aid for her Desert restoration project has 99 problems but a ditch ain't one Motorcyclist killed in midtown Tucson crash This new Mexican spot serves comfort meals that will transport you to your grandma's house This beloved local restaurant serves some of the best cabeza tacos in Tucson ASU career 'a dream come true' for Marana product, future coach Trenton Bourguet New Tucson facility to transform plastic waste into building blocks Real Estate: Restaurant, retail to replace long-time Tucson fabric store Police chief: Armed man intended to harm children at Tucson school During Arizona's 81-70 win over Baylor, McKale Center fans may have met Big 12 standard
Most galaxies have supermassive black holes, but the one in the Milky Way is inactive, meaning the galaxy is as well.
The extragalactic AGN captured by the researchers belongs to a neighboring active galaxy named NGC 1068.
The details visible in the sharp images will help discover more about the Milky Way because AGNs play a role in the creation of galaxies, said Jacob Isbell, a team member and post-doctoral researcher.
"Fundamentally, we're trying to understand how the Milky Way formed, and how our sun and our planet came to be here," Isbell said. "By looking at how nearby galaxies grow up, we get a good picture of how ours did the same."
In the images, researchers were able to see how different forces around this AGN interact. Isbell said they can see material that feeds the AGN and interacts with the galaxy in greater detail, providing insight into specific impact.
Prior to this discovery, feedback from radio jet and dusty wind would be indistinguishable in images of AGNs.
Now, researchers can study them separately.
The intricate detail that the LBTI and imaging technique reveal will also help study other objects in space outside of AGNs. This will open doors to study interactions, objects and galaxies in more detail.
"We could basically look at any astronomical object that's bright enough, and get the same quality of results," Isbell said.
Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community.
Want to see more like this?
Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Divya Gupta
Breaking News Intern
Author email