A supermassive black hole lies at the heart of most galaxies, and a new study suggests how these ravenous cosmic structures may ultimately define their hosts.
Using data from the Burst Alert Telescope aboard NASA's Swift satellite, an international team of researchers found that Type I and Type II galaxies appear strikingly different, due to the rate at which their central black holes — also known as active galactic nuclei (AGN) — gobble up surrounding matter, according to a statement from the University of Maryland (UMD).
Type I galaxies appear brighter when observed from Earth. The new study overturns a popular theory called the unified model, which suggests that the two types of galaxies appear different because they point toward Earth at different angles. According to this model, Type I galaxies appear brighter because Type II galaxies are tilted such that they are obscured by their own rings of dust. [ Images: Black Holes of the Universe ]
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Let's be thankful that they don't go on a eating binge.
I love the photo Matti.
Yes, the photo is great.