Astronomers Observe Galaxy's Supermassive Black Hole Starvation Leading to 95% Brightness Decline
Astronomers have observed a significant decline in brightness of a galaxy due to the starvation of its supermassive black hole. Over the past 20 years, the galaxy has dimmed by 95%, a change attributed to a reduction in the flow of gas and dust to the black hole's accretion disk. This phenomenon was studied by an international team of astronomers who utilized data from various telescopes, including the Gran Telescopio Canarias, the Subaru Telescope, and the W. M. Keck Observatory. The research, published in the journal Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan, highlights the rapid variability in the activity of supermassive black holes, challenging existing models that suggest such changes occur over thousands of years.