Astronomers used the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) to observe a supermassive black hole awaken in real time. They began noticing something happening in 2019, when the previously unremarkable galaxy SDSS1335+0728 suddenly started shining brighter than ever before.
More specifically, SDSS1335+0728 was now radiating much more light at ultraviolet, optical, and infrared wavelengths. Plus, it also started emitting X-rays in February 2024. This behavior is unprecedented, but the most tangible way to explain this phenomenon is that we are seeing how the core of the galaxy is beginning to show activity.
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Regardless of the nature of the variations, [this galaxy] provides valuable information on how black holes grow and evolve. We expect that instruments like [MUSE on the VLT or those on the upcoming Extremely Large Telescope (ELT)] will be key in understanding [why the galaxy is brightening],” said Sánchez Sáez, an astronomer at ESO in Germany and lead author of the study.
