Astronomers have detected a mid-infrared flare from the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way galaxy for the very first time, and it’s shedding new light on the complex physics driving these energetic outbursts.

The universe could be home to far more supermassive black holes than we realised, according to new research. Astronomers from the University of Southampton say that 35% of these galactic giants - some which are billions of times heavier than the sun - have gone undiscovered because they are obscured by thick clouds of gas and dust.

ESO/L. Calçada, N. Risinger (skysurvey.org), DSS, VISTA, VVV Survey/D. Minniti DSS, Nogueras-Lara et al., Schoedel, NACO, GRAVITY Collaboration, EHT Collaboration (Music: Azul Cobalto)

Researchers found far more hidden black holes than previously known, indicating plenty of behemoths lurking in thick clouds of gas and dust.

Galaxy clusters are home to many giant elliptical galaxies that have completed their growth and are not forming stars. However, it is still unclear what shutdowns star formation. The answer now seems to be supermassive black holes, which slow star formation and help to transition the star formations into galaxies.

Sagittarius A* is the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. As supermassive black holes go, it is fairly quiet. It’s not creating any galaxy-wide tantrums that should worry us. It does flare up though,

A new study suggests more supermassive black holes may be lurking in the universe than previously thought. Astronomers from the University of Southampton have discovered that 35 per cent of these enormous entities—some of which are billions of times heavier than the sun—remain undetected.

NASA telescopes reveal 35% of supermassive black holes are hidden by dust, reshaping theories about their role in galaxy growth.

At the center of almost every galaxy, there is a supermassive black hole. Well, astronomers think it’s every galaxy, but it is a difficult claim to confirm. Not because there might be many exceptions – the difficulty lies in the fact that many black holes are so well hidden that we wouldn’t know they are there.