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Astronomy

A black hole changes its feeding habits

Nature volume 540, pages 48–49 (2016)Cite this article

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In the 1980s, the gas surrounding a black hole in a nearby galaxy began to emit much more radiation than before. This change has unexpectedly reversed in the past five years, questioning our understanding of these extreme phenomena.

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Figure 1: The variability of Mrk 1018.

Adapted From Michael S. Helfenbein/Yale Univ.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stephanie LaMassa is at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA.,

    Stephanie LaMassa

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  1. Stephanie LaMassa
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Correspondence to Stephanie LaMassa.

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LaMassa, S. A black hole changes its feeding habits. Nature 540, 48–49 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature20480

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