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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
Ian Sample Science editor

Astronomers detect sudden awakening of black hole 1m times mass of sun

Black Hole Sun
A gassy disc of glowing orange light, with a bright white spot in the centre, in space
An artist’s impression shows the growing disc of material being pulled in by the black hole as it feeds on the gas available in its surroundings, making the galaxy light up. Photograph: ESO/M Kornmesser

The mysterious brightening of a galaxy far, far away has been traced to the heart of the star system and the sudden awakening of a giant black hole 1m times more massive than the sun.

Decades of observations found nothing remarkable about the distant galaxy in the constellation of Virgo, but that changed at the end of 2019 when astronomers noticed a dramatic surge in its luminosity that persists to this day.

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