{"id":24878,"date":"2022-02-16T11:00:33","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T16:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=24878"},"modified":"2022-02-15T18:01:08","modified_gmt":"2022-02-15T23:01:08","slug":"24878","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=24878","title":{"rendered":"ESO: Supermassive black hole feeds on dust cloud at galaxy&#8217;s center"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The latest report from the European Southern Observatory (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eso.org\/public\/news\/eso2203\/?lang\">ESO<\/a>):<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eso.org\/public\/news\/eso2203\/?lang\">Supermassive black hole caught hiding in a ring of cosmic dust<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24879\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24879\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eso.org\/public\/images\/eso2203a\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"24879\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=24879\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/eso2203a1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"700,352\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;ESO\/Jaffe, G\\u00e1mez-Rosas et al.&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;The left panel of this image shows a dazzling view of the active galaxy Messier 77 captured with the FOcal Reducer and low dispersion Spectrograph 2 (FORS2) instrument on ESO\\u2019s Very Large Telescope. The right panel shows a blow-up view of the very inner region of this galaxy, its active galactic nucleus, as seen with the MATISSE instrument on ESO\\u2019s Very Large Telescope Interferometer.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1645030800&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Galaxy Messier 77 and close-up view of its active centre&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Galaxy Messier 77 and close-up view of its active centre\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The left panel of this image shows a dazzling view of the active galaxy Messier 77 captured with the FOcal Reducer and low dispersion Spectrograph 2 (FORS2) instrument on ESO\u2019s Very Large Telescope. The right panel shows a blow-up view of the very inner region of this galaxy, its active galactic nucleus, as seen with the MATISSE instrument on ESO\u2019s Very Large Telescope Interferometer.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/eso2203a1.jpg\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24879\" src=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/eso2203a1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"352\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/eso2203a1.jpg 700w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/eso2203a1-500x251.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24879\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The left panel of this image shows a dazzling view of the active galaxy Messier 77 captured with the FOcal Reducer and low dispersion Spectrograph 2 (FORS2) instrument on ESO\u2019s Very Large Telescope. The right panel shows a blow-up view of the very inner region of this galaxy, its active galactic nucleus, as seen with the MATISSE instrument on ESO\u2019s Very Large Telescope Interferometer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"text_intro pr_first\">The European Southern Observatory\u2019s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (ESO\u2019s VLTI) has observed a cloud of cosmic dust at the centre of the galaxy Messier 77 that is hiding a supermassive black hole. The findings have confirmed predictions made around 30 years ago and are giving astronomers new insight into \u201c<em>active galactic nuclei<\/em>\u201d, some of the brightest and most enigmatic objects in the universe.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Active_galactic_nucleus\">Active galactic nuclei<\/a> (AGNs) are extremely energetic sources powered by supermassive black holes and found at the centre of some galaxies. These black holes feed on large volumes of cosmic dust and gas. Before it is eaten up, this material spirals towards the black hole and huge amounts of energy are released in the process, often outshining all the stars in the galaxy.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TIyp2IwQvDs?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Astronomers have been curious about AGNs ever since they first spotted these bright objects in the 1950s. Now, thanks to ESO\u2019s VLTI, a team of researchers, led by Violeta G\u00e1mez Rosas from Leiden University in the Netherlands, have taken a key step towards understanding how they work and what they look like up close. The results are published today in <em>Nature<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>By making extraordinarily detailed observations of the centre of the galaxy<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Messier_77\"> Messier 77<\/a>, also known as NGC 1068, G\u00e1mez Rosas and her team detected a thick ring of cosmic dust and gas hiding a supermassive black hole. This discovery provides vital evidence to support a 30-year-old theory known as the Unified Model of AGNs.<\/p>\n<p>Astronomers know there are different types of AGN. For example, some release bursts of radio waves while others don\u2019t; certain AGNs shine brightly in visible light, while others, like Messier 77, are more subdued. The Unified Model states that despite their differences, all AGNs have the same basic structure: a supermassive black hole surrounded by a thick ring of dust.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24880\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24880\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eso.org\/public\/images\/eso2203d\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"24880\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=24880\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/eso2203d1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"700,481\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;ESO\/M. Kornmesser and L. Cal\\u00e7ad&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;This illustration shows what the core of Messier 77 might look like. As other active galactic nuclei, the central region of Messier 77 is powered by a black hole that is surrounded by a thin accretion disc, which itself is surrounded by a thick ring or torus of gas and dust. In the case of Messier 77, this thick ring completely obscures our view of the supermassive black hole.\\u00a0\\u00a0\\u00a0\\r \\r This active galactic nucleus is also believed to have jets, as well as dusty winds, that flow out of the region around the black hole perpendicularly to the accretion disc around it.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1645030800&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Artist\\u2019s impression of the active galactic nucleus of Messier&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Artist\u2019s impression of the active galactic nucleus of Messier\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;This illustration shows what the core of Messier 77 might look like. As other active galactic nuclei, the central region of Messier 77 is powered by a black hole that is surrounded by a thin accretion disc, which itself is surrounded by a thick ring or torus of gas and dust. In the case of Messier 77, this thick ring completely obscures our view of the supermassive black hole.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0&lt;\/p&gt;\n&lt;p&gt; This active galactic nucleus is also believed to have jets, as well as dusty winds, that flow out of the region around the black hole perpendicularly to the accretion disc around it.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/eso2203d1.jpg\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24880\" src=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/eso2203d1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"481\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/eso2203d1.jpg 700w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/eso2203d1-500x344.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24880\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This illustration shows what the core of Messier 77 might look like. As other active galactic nuclei, the central region of Messier 77 is powered by a black hole that is surrounded by a thin accretion disc, which itself is surrounded by a thick ring or torus of gas and dust. In the case of Messier 77, this thick ring completely obscures our view of the supermassive black hole.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<br \/>This active galactic nucleus is also believed to have jets, as well as dusty winds, that flow out of the region around the black hole perpendicularly to the accretion disc around it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>According to this model, any difference in appearance between AGNs results from the orientation at which we view the black hole and its thick ring from Earth. The type of AGN we see depends on how much the ring obscures the black hole from our view point, completely hiding it in some cases.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-q1EY1jTkb8?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Astronomers had found some evidence to support the Unified Model before, including spotting warm dust at the centre of Messier 77. However, doubts remained about whether this dust could completely hide a black hole and hence explain why this AGN shines less brightly in visible light than others.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>\u201cThe real nature of the dust clouds and their role in both feeding the black hole and determining how it looks when viewed from Earth have been central questions in AGN studies over the last three decades,\u201d <\/em>explains G\u00e1mez Rosas. <em>\u201cWhilst no single result will settle all the questions we have, we have taken a major step in understanding how AGNs work.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The observations were made possible thanks to the Multi AperTure mid-Infrared SpectroScopic Experiment (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eso.org\/public\/unitedkingdom\/teles-instr\/paranal-observatory\/vlt\/vlt-instr\/matisse\/\">MATISSE<\/a>) mounted on<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eso.org\/public\/teles-instr\/paranal-observatory\/vlt\/vlti\/\"> ESO\u2019s VLTI<\/a>, located in Chile\u2019s Atacama Desert. MATISSE combined infrared light collected by all four 8.2-metre telescopes of ESO\u2019s Very Large Telescope (VLT) using a technique called interferometry. The team used MATISSE to scan the centre of Messier 77, located 47 million light-years away in the constellation Cetus.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>\u201cMATISSE can see a broad range of infrared wavelengths, which lets us see through the dust and accurately measure temperatures. Because the VLTI is in fact a very large interferometer, we have the resolution to see what\u2019s going on even in galaxies as far away as Messier 77. The images we obtained detail the changes in temperature and absorption of the dust clouds around the black hole,\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>says co-author Walter Jaffe, a professor at Leiden University.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24881\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24881\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eso.org\/public\/images\/eso2203b\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"24881\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=24881\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/eso2203b1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"700,668\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;ESO\/Jaffe, G\\u00e1mez-Rosas et al.&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;This image, captured with the MATISSE instrument on ESO\\u2019s Very Large Telescope Interferometer, shows the very inner region of the active galaxy Messier 77. Active galactic nuclei are extremely energetic sources powered by supermassive black holes. By making extraordinarily detailed observations of the active centre of this galaxy, a team of astronomers detected a thick ring of cosmic dust and gas hiding a supermassive black hole. The black dot shows the most probable position of the black hole, while the two ellipses show the extent, seen in projection, of the thick inner dust ring (dashed) and extended dust disc.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1645030800&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;A close-up view of Messier 77\\u2019s active galactic nucleus&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"A close-up view of Messier 77\u2019s active galactic nucleus\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;This image, captured with the MATISSE instrument on ESO\u2019s Very Large Telescope Interferometer, shows the very inner region of the active galaxy Messier 77. Active galactic nuclei are extremely energetic sources powered by supermassive black holes. By making extraordinarily detailed observations of the active centre of this galaxy, a team of astronomers detected a thick ring of cosmic dust and gas hiding a supermassive black hole. The black dot shows the most probable position of the black hole, while the two ellipses show the extent, seen in projection, of the thick inner dust ring (dashed) and extended dust disc.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/eso2203b1.jpg\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24881\" src=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/eso2203b1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"668\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/eso2203b1.jpg 700w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/eso2203b1-500x477.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24881\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This image, captured with the MATISSE instrument on ESO\u2019s Very Large Telescope Interferometer, shows the very inner region of the active galaxy Messier 77. Active galactic nuclei are extremely energetic sources powered by supermassive black holes. By making extraordinarily detailed observations of the active centre of this galaxy, a team of astronomers detected a thick ring of cosmic dust and gas hiding a supermassive black hole. The black dot shows the most probable position of the black hole, while the two ellipses show the extent, seen in projection, of the thick inner dust ring (dashed) and extended dust disc.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Combining the changes in dust temperature (from around room temperature to about 1200\u00a0\u00b0C) caused by the intense radiation from the black hole with the absorption maps, the team built up a detailed picture of the dust and pinpointed where the black hole must lie. The dust \u2014 in a thick inner ring and a more extended disc \u2014 with the black hole positioned at its centre supports the Unified Model. The team also used data from the Atacama Large Millimeter\/submillimeter Array, co-owned by ESO, and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory\u2019s Very Long Baseline Array to construct their picture.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>\u201cOur results should lead to a better understanding of the inner workings of AGNs,\u201d<\/em> concludes G\u00e1mez Rosas. <em>\u201cThey could also help us better understand the history of the Milky Way, which harbours a supermassive black hole at its centre that may have been active in the past.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The researchers are now looking to use ESO\u2019s VLTI to find more supporting evidence of the Unified Model of AGNs by considering a larger sample of galaxies.<\/p>\n<p>Team member Bruno Lopez, the MATISSE Principal Investigator at the Observatoire de la C\u00f4te d\u2019Azur in Nice, France, says:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>\u201cMessier 77 is an important prototype AGN and a wonderful motivation to expand our observing programme and to optimise MATISSE to tackle a wider sample of AGNs.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>ESO\u2019s Extremely Large Telescope (<a href=\"https:\/\/elt.eso.org\/\">ELT<\/a>), set to begin observing later this decade, will also aid the search, providing results that will complement the team\u2019s findings and allow them to explore the interaction between AGNs and galaxies.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24882\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24882\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eso.org\/public\/images\/eso1720a\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"24882\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=24882\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/eso1720a1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"700,699\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;ESO&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;ESO\\u2019s Very Large Telescope (VLT) has captured a magnificent face-on view of the barred spiral galaxy Messier 77. The image does justice to the galaxy\\u2019s beauty, showcasing its glittering arms criss-crossed with dust lanes \\u2014 but it fails to betray Messier 77\\u2019s turbulent nature.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1499256000&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Dazzling galaxy Messier 77&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Dazzling galaxy Messier 77\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;ESO\u2019s Very Large Telescope (VLT) has captured a magnificent face-on view of the barred spiral galaxy Messier 77. The image does justice to the galaxy\u2019s beauty, showcasing its glittering arms criss-crossed with dust lanes \u2014 but it fails to betray Messier 77\u2019s turbulent nature.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/eso1720a1.jpg\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24882\" src=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/eso1720a1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"699\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/eso1720a1.jpg 700w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/eso1720a1-500x500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/eso1720a1-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24882\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">ESO\u2019s Very Large Telescope (VLT) has captured a magnificent face-on view of the barred spiral galaxy Messier 77. The image does justice to the galaxy\u2019s beauty, showcasing its glittering arms criss-crossed with dust lanes \u2014 but it fails to betray Messier 77\u2019s turbulent nature.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Links<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eso.org\/public\/archives\/releases\/sciencepapers\/eso2203\/eso2203a.pdf\">Research paper<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.eso.org\/public\/images\/archive\/category\/paranal\/\">Photos of the VLT\/VLTI<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eso.org\/public\/outreach\/pressmedia\/#epodpress_form\">For journalists: subscribe to receive our releases under embargo in your language<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.eso.org\/sci\/publications\/announcements\/sciann17463.html\">For scientists: got a story? Pitch your research<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>===<\/em><strong><em> Amazon Ads <\/em><\/strong><em>===<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1588346919\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1588346919&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=hobbyspace&amp;linkId=f03c3ed8ae786328107b054c7548be90\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Envisioning Exoplanets:<br \/>\nSearching for Life in the Galaxy<\/a><\/strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=hobbyspace&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1588346919\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe style=\"width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ac&amp;ref=tf_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=hobbyspace&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=1588346919&amp;asins=1588346919&amp;linkId=4d8b47019f5b3324ce507a9ee3116e32&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true&amp;price_color=333333&amp;title_color=0066c0&amp;bg_color=ffffff\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>===<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/030023192X\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=030023192X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=hobbyspace&amp;linkId=55a88bb98899b8913c361a0619e2878b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Asteroids: How Love, Fear, and Greed<br \/>\nWill Determine Our Future in Space<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe style=\"width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ac&amp;ref=tf_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=hobbyspace&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=030023192X&amp;asins=030023192X&amp;linkId=bca3697978d39d30a8b68ffae80fca6b&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true&amp;price_color=333333&amp;title_color=0066c0&amp;bg_color=ffffff\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The latest report from the European Southern Observatory (ESO): Supermassive black hole caught hiding in a ring of cosmic dust The European Southern Observatory\u2019s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (ESO\u2019s VLTI) has observed a cloud of cosmic dust at the centre of the galaxy Messier 77 that is hiding a supermassive black hole. The findings have &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=24878\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">ESO: Supermassive black hole feeds on dust cloud at galaxy&#8217;s center<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-astronomy","category-education"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s34aWK-24878","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":27169,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=27169","url_meta":{"origin":24878,"position":0},"title":"ESO: First ever binary star found near Milky Way&#8217;s supermassive black hole","author":"TopSpacer","date":"December 17, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"A new report from the European Southern Observatory (ESO): First ever binary star found near our galaxy\u2019s supermassive black hole An international team of researchers has detected a binary star orbiting close to Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy. It is the first time\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Astronomy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/eso2418a1-500x286.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14575,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=14575","url_meta":{"origin":24878,"position":1},"title":"ESO&#8217;s Very Large Telescope captures a &#8220;Dazzling Spiral with an Active Heart&#8221;","author":"TopSpacer","date":"July 5, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"A new report from\u00a0ESO\u00a0(European Southern Observatory): Dazzling Spiral with an Active Heart ESO\u2019s Very Large Telescope (VLT) has captured a magnificent face-on view of the barred spiral galaxy Messier 77. The image does justice to the galaxy\u2019s beauty, showcasing its glittering arms criss-crossed with dust lanes \u2014 but it fails\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Astronomy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/eso1720a1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14764,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=14764","url_meta":{"origin":24878,"position":2},"title":"ESO: Supermassive Black Holes Feed on Cosmic Jellyfish","author":"TopSpacer","date":"August 16, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The lastest report from ESO (European Southern Observatory): Supermassive Black Holes Feed on Cosmic Jellyfish Observations of \u201cJellyfish galaxies\u201d with ESO\u2019s Very Large Telescope have revealed a previously unknown way to fuel supermassive black holes. It seems the mechanism that produces the tentacles of gas and newborn stars that give\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Astronomy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/eso1725a1-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":24750,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=24750","url_meta":{"origin":24878,"position":3},"title":"ESO: Sharpest images yet of stars orbiting Milky Way&#8217;s supermassive black hole","author":"TopSpacer","date":"December 14, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"A new report from the European Southern Observatory (Watch stars move around the Milky Way\u2019s supermassive black hole in deepest images yet | ESO) Watch stars move around the Milky Way\u2019s supermassive black hole in deepest images yet The European Southern Observatory\u2019s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (ESO\u2019s VLTI) has obtained\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Astronomy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/eso0949l1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/eso0949l1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/eso0949l1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/eso0949l1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":24720,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=24720","url_meta":{"origin":24878,"position":4},"title":"ESO: VLT uncovers closest pair of supermassive black holes yet found","author":"TopSpacer","date":"November 30, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The latest report from \u00a0ESO (European Southern Observatory): ESO telescope uncovers closest pair of supermassive black holes yet Using the European Southern Observatory\u2019s Very Large Telescope (ESO\u2019s VLT), astronomers have revealed the closest pair of supermassive black holes to Earth ever observed. The two objects also have a much smaller\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Astronomy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/potw2148a1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/potw2148a1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/potw2148a1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/potw2148a1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":26483,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=26483","url_meta":{"origin":24878,"position":5},"title":"ESO: Record-breaking quasar identified","author":"TopSpacer","date":"February 19, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"A new report from the European Southern Observatory (ESO): Brightest and fastest-growing: astronomers identify record-breaking quasar Using the European Southern Observatory\u2019s (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have characterised a bright quasar, finding it to be not only the brightest of its kind, but also the most luminous object ever\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Astronomy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/eso2402a-500x311.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24878"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24878\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24886,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24878\/revisions\/24886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}