Massive Black Hole Awakening Sheds Light on Galactic Behavior

The galaxy SDSS1335+0728, observed by the Very Large Telescope and others, has been exhibiting unprecedented brightness changes since December 2019, likely due to the activation of a supermassive black hole at its center.

This ongoing brightening offers a unique opportunity to study the transition from a quiescent state to an active galactic nucleus, which is a crucial phase that most galaxies with central black holes undergo.