galaxies

06 Nov

Quasars can be buried in their host galaxies, find scientists

London, Nov 6, Supermassive black holes at the centre of galaxies, known as quasars, can sometimes be obscured by dense clouds of gas and dust in their host galaxies, a new study has revealed. This challenges the prevailing idea that quasars are only obscured by donut-shaped rings of dust in the close vicinity of the black hole, according to the study published in the journal MNRAS. The findings provide new insights into the link between galaxy growth and black hole activity. “It's like the quasar is buried in its host galaxy. In some cases, the surrounding galaxy is so stuffed…

28 Jun

Astronomers discover orbiting supermassive black holes

San Francisco: In what is being hailed as a "groundbreaking discovery", astronomers have for the first time observed two supermassive black holes orbiting around each other in a distant galaxy. In an article published in the Astrophysical Journal, researchers have detailed how they used radio telescopes to detect what appeared to be two black holes moving in relation to each other in a radio galaxy. Potentially, it is the smallest-ever recorded movement of an object across the sky, also known as angular motion, Xinhua news agency reported. "If you imagine a snail on the recently-discovered Earth-like planet orbiting Proxima Centauri,…