12 billion years of black hole history, revealed through X-rays and simulations

A spacey expanse that fades from starry black on the left to gaseous blue on the right half. A white square captures a small purple star on the left. White lines extend from the bottom corners to an image in the bottom left of yellow and red gas circling a black spot that shoots white light up and down.

The black hearts of galaxies have had their history told almost in full for the first time, as astronomers combined X-ray observations with detailed supercomputer models to chronicle the growth of supermassive black holes over 12 billion years of cosmic history.

In doing so, the scientists have shown that the black hole at the core of our Milky Way galaxy attained its four million solar masses relatively late in its history.