Astronomers captured an unprecedented image of a supermassive black hole in action (photo).

Active galactic nuclei refer to supermassive black holes located at the center of certain galaxies. When matter falls into these black holes, an immense amount of energy is released, making active galactic nuclei some of the most energetic and luminous phenomena in the universe. Recently, astronomers utilized the Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona, USA, to capture the clearest direct images of the active nucleus of a distant galaxy. The study has been published in the journal Nature Astronomy, reports Phys.

At the center of every galaxy lies a supermassive black hole. Depending on how quickly and in what volume these black holes absorb matter, they can be classified as active or inactive.

Supermassive black holes are surrounded by an accretion disk filled with matter drawn in by the black hole. The more matter present in the disk, the brighter it becomes due to the gravitational influence of the black hole.

If the accretion disk shines very brightly, it indicates the presence of an active supermassive black hole, which is also an active galactic nucleus. Scientists conducted research on the active nucleus of the galaxy NGC 1068, located 60 million light-years away from us, making it one of the closest galaxies with an active nucleus. This active nucleus is also one of the brightest in the known universe.

The Large Binocular Telescope features two 8.4-meter mirrors, functioning as two separate telescopes placed side by side. Combining the light from both mirrors allows for observations with significantly higher resolution.

In this new study, astronomers were able to observe several cosmic phenomena occurring simultaneously in the active nucleus of the galaxy NGC 1068.

For instance, observations revealed that the very bright accretion disk of the supermassive black hole emits so much light that it leads to the repulsion of matter. This phenomenon is known as radiation pressure. However, farther from the black hole, a substantial amount of matter was found to be brighter than expected, given that it is illuminated solely by the bright accretion disk.

Astronomers believe the reason lies in the presence of a jet of plasma and radiation that emanates from the supermassive black hole, heating the surrounding clouds of molecular gas and dust.

The study indicates that the environment surrounding active galactic nuclei can be complex, and new discoveries contribute to a better understanding of how these nuclei interact with their host galaxies.