{"id":13199,"date":"2016-09-15T10:00:24","date_gmt":"2016-09-15T14:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=13199"},"modified":"2016-09-14T01:21:55","modified_gmt":"2016-09-14T05:21:55","slug":"eso-galaxy-dims-as-its-supermassive-black-hole-starves-from-a-lack-of-new-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=13199","title":{"rendered":"ESO: Galaxy dims as its supermassive black hole starves from a lack of new matter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yet another interesting report from the European Southern Observatory (ESO<\/a>):<\/p>\n

Starving Black Hole Returns Brilliant Galaxy to the Shadows<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>
This image from the MUSE instrument on ESO\u2019s Very Large Telescope shows the active galaxy Markarian 1018, which has a supermassive black hole at its core. The faint loops of light around the galaxy are a result of its interaction and merger with another galaxy in the recent past. [Larger image<\/a>]<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>The mystery of a rare change in the behaviour of a supermassive black hole at the centre of a distant galaxy has been solved by an international team of astronomers using ESO\u2019s Very Large Telescope along with the NASA\/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and NASA\u2019s Chandra X-ray Observatory. It seems that the black hole has fallen on hard times and is no longer being fed enough fuel to make its surroundings shine.<\/p>\n

Many galaxies are found to have an extremely bright core powered by a supermassive black hole. These cores make \u201cactive galaxies\u201d some of the brightest objects in the Universe. They are thought to shine so brightly because hot material is glowing fiercely as it falls into the black hole, a process known as accretion. This brilliant light can vary hugely between different active galaxies, so astronomers classify them into several types based on the properties of the light they emit [1]<\/a>.<\/p>\n