Scientists Warn: Hidden Supermassive Black Holes May Be Lurking Closer Than We Imagined

The universe could be home to far more supermassive black holes than we realised, according to new research.

The researchers propose that numerous such structures remain concealed from our sight—indicating that we may have significantly underestimated the number of these rotating voids in our universe. cosmos .

Astronomers from the University of Southampton say that 35% of these galactic giants - some which are billions of times heavier than the sun - have gone undiscovered because they are obscured by thick clouds of gas and dust.

This number had previously been estimated to be about 15%.

Professor Poshak Gandhi, co-author of the study published in the Astrophysical Journal, said: “Black holes are the most mysterious objects in the universe and are present everywhere - yet we still don’t fully know how they evolve.

“We’ve found that many more are lurking in plain sight - hiding behind dust and gas rendering them invisible to normal telescopes.

This marks the initial occasion where we've obtained a finely detailed count of black holes expanding by devouring nearby interstellar matter.

He added: “If we didn’t have a supermassive black hole in our Milky Way galaxy, there might be many more stars in the sky.

That’s merely one illustration of how black holes can impact a galaxy’s development.

The team of scientists used data taken from Nasa’s InfraRed Astronomy Satellite and the X-ray space telescope NuSTAR to analyse infrared emissions from clouds surrounding supermassive black holes.

Professor Gandhi commented, "Despite black holes being dark, the gas around them becomes extremely hot and emits intense light, which makes these regions among the most luminous in the cosmos."

Despite being concealed, the encircling dust particles absorb and then release this light as infrared radiation, thus disclosing their location.

X-rays offer an additional perspective piercing through the obscuring gas, similar to how a medical X-ray enables doctors to see inside our bodies.

The group believes that comparing the quantity of undiscovered black holes to the known ones might provide insights into how these celestial bodies attain their enormous sizes.

Lead author Dr Peter Boorman, formerly of the University of Southampton and now at Caltech, in Pasadena, California, explained: “Black holes also influence the galaxies they live in - this happens because they are surrounded by massive clouds of gas and dust and can consume vast amounts of material.

If an excessive amount of matter gets drawn towards a black hole, it begins expelling the surplus and ejecting it back into the galaxy. This process can scatter gas clouds within the galaxy where stars are forming, thereby reducing the pace of star formation.

Additional reporting by agencies

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