For the first time in history, astronomers are seeing a black hole waking up.

The monster is awake and hungry. In December 2019, a quiet, unremarkable galaxy 300 million light-years from Earth began to glow brightly. Astronomers believe they have witnessed the awakening of a supermassive black hole.

Drastic transformation SDSS1335+0728. For many years, the dim galaxy located in the constellation Virgo was known by this very practical name. Always calm and boring, since the end of 2019 she has turned into a magnificent beast.

Events such as a supernova or tidal disruption (when a star is spaghettied by the gravity of a black hole) can cause a point-like increase in the brightness of a galaxy. But these events last for days, not years. And SDSS1335+0728 continues to shine brighter and brighter four years after the first outburst.

The explanation that best fits. Searching for alternative explanations, astronomers at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) combined archival data with new observations and found that the galaxy now emits much more light in the ultraviolet, visible and infrared ranges, and has also begun to emit X-rays. in February of this year.

The most likely explanation for this behavior is that this is the first time we have actually observed the activation of a supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy, the researchers say.

Awakening the black hole. According to this hypothesis, the supermassive black hole at the center of SDSS1335+0728 began to feed on the surrounding gas, becoming extremely bright.

Supermassive black holes have masses 100,000 times the mass of the Sun. They are usually dormant, preventing them from being observed directly, although they are at the center of most galaxies, including the Milky Way. Our black hole is called Sagittarius A* and has recently shown signs of activity.

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