Dust disk observed near black hole

Astrophysicists using the interferometer of the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory (the VLTI of the ESO) observed a dust disk surrounding the supermassive black hole at the center of the Messier 77 galaxy. This observation provides new insights into the environment around black holes in active galaxies.

Dust disk matches expectations

The characteristics of the dust disk align with those expected for the active nuclei of galaxies for about thirty years. This consistency supports long-standing theories about how these regions function and behave.

Discovery supports unified model

This discovery consolidates black hole astrophysics described by what is called the "unified model" of AGN. This model suggests that the differences in how active galactic nuclei appear are due to the viewer's perspective rather than fundamental differences in the objects themselves.

Artist's view of a distant quasar

An artist's view shows what a very distant quasar powered by a black hole with a mass two billion times that of the Sun might have looked like. The image is credited to ESO/M. Kornmesser.