Unintentional Discovery: Scientists Capture First-Ever Image of Black Hole's Swirling Ring

Scientists have accidentally measured the size of the disk of matter swirling around a supermassive black hole for the first time. The discovery, made while collecting data to confirm the presence of the accretion disk, could provide insights into the growth of black holes and the evolution of surrounding galaxies. The researchers used the Gemini Near-Infrared Spectrograph to detect a second double-peak emission from the outside edge of the accretion disk, allowing them to calculate its radius. This finding will help scientists observe the feeding process and inner structure of active galaxies, shedding light on the mysteries of supermassive black holes.