Astronomers working with the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) on the Nicholas W. Mayoll Telescope have created the largest database of dwarf galaxies with active black holes.
This is stated in a study published in the Astrophysical Journal.
According to researcher Raghadeepika Pooch from the University of Utah (USA), when a black hole at the center of a galaxy starts to consume matter, it releases a huge amount of energy and becomes an active galactic nucleus. Such activity helps to detect hidden black holes in small galaxies.
Here you can see galaxies that contain candidates for intermediate-mass black holes.
Astronomers analyzed the spectra of 410 757 galaxies, 114 496 of which are dwarf galaxies, and found 2 500 galaxies with active black holes—the largest number ever recorded. The researchers found that the proportion of such galaxies is much higher than previously thought—2% versus 0.5%. This suggests that many low-mass black holes have gone undetected.
The team of astronomers has also assembled the largest collection of intermediate-mass black holes to date, 300. Now researchers can better understand how black holes form and whether the type of galaxy they are in affects this, helping to further explore their role in the evolution of galaxies.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine please follow us on X.