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Astronomers believe they have glimpsed the structure of a black hole after the Hubble Space Telescope spotted a collection of rays and shadows radiating from the center of a galaxy millions of light years away.
Black holes are the largest monsters in the universe and quickly consume everything in their vicinity. Their gravity is so powerful that not even light can escape them, an extraordinary fact that also makes them invisible and therefore incredibly difficult to study.
However, experts have noticed vast shadows and narrow beams of light extending from the center of the galaxy IC 5063, as if something huge is blocking the bright light.
Experts believe this could be a black hole at the heart of the galaxy casting its shadow into space, and an alignment oddity could allow them to glimpse its structure.
Some rays of light penetrate the crevices of the dust ring, creating light rays that resemble the beams of light that can be seen radiating from the setting sun.
“We think we have found evidence that there is probably dust all over the galaxy that scatters light from the accreting black hole in the active core of the galaxy and that light can illuminate almost the entire galaxy,” explained astronomer Peter Maksym of the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
Since scientists have never witnessed this phenomenon before, it may take some time to conclusively prove that a black hole is causing strange shadows and rays. However, the development presents an enticing scientific discovery and a rich opportunity for further research.
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