AI Article Synopsis
- Supermassive black holes, found at the center of large galaxies like the Milky Way, contain millions to billions of times the mass of our sun in extremely small areas.
- Their formation and the mechanics of how so much matter is compressed into these tiny regions remain a mystery.
- Scientists study these black holes to understand their influence on galaxy formation and evolution.
Article Abstract
At the heart of our milky way and of virtually every other large galaxy lurks a deep cosmic mystery—a supermassive black hole. Squeezing millions to billions of times more mass than our sun into regions smaller in size than our solar system, these objects are so bizarre as to seem almost mystical. No one yet understands exactly how nature has managed to compress so much matter into such small spaces. What is clear is that the hidden gravitational hands of supermassive black holes reach out to shape their surrounding galaxies in profound yet subtle ways. By studying the growth and behavior of these ghostly black holes, scientists hope to unlock the secrets of how galaxies themselves are born and evolve.
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| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6029720 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0417-38 | DOI Listing |
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