At the center of a galaxy called NGC 1068, a supermassive black hole hides within a thick doughnut-shaped cloud of dust and gas. When astronomers used ALMA to study this cloud in more detail, they made an unexpected discovery that could explain why supermassive black holes grew so rapidly in the early Universe.
Cool, Nebulous Ring around Milky Way’s Supermassive Black Hole
New ALMA observations reveal a never-before-seen disk of cool, interstellar gas wrapped around the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.
The Giant In Our Backyard
For decades astronomers have dreamed of seeing a black hole. That dream may soon become a reality.
VLA Makes First Direct Image of Key Feature of Powerful Radio Galaxies
A dusty, doughnut-shaped feature long thought to be an essential part of the “engines” at the cores of active galaxies, is seen for the first time in one of the most powerful galaxies in the Universe.
Tale As Old As Time
Using data from ALMA, a team of astronomers studied the growth and evolution of bubbles of hot plasma produced by active quasar HE 0515-4414. The bubble was analyzed by observing its effect on light from the cosmic microwave background. It is the first time this method was used to study quasar dynamics.
Trans-galactic Streamers Feeding Most Luminous Galaxy in the Universe
New ALMA data reveal distinct streamers of material being pulled from three smaller galaxies into the larger galaxy W2246-0526, the most luminous known galaxy in the universe.