Unveiling the Edge of a Supermassive Black Hole's Accretion Disk

Astronomers have observed the outer edge of a feeding supermassive black hole's accretion disk for the first time, providing valuable insights into the structure and behavior of these cosmic phenomena. By studying the emission lines in the spectrum of light from the accretion disk, researchers were able to determine its size and estimate the mass of the black hole. The observations could help scientists better understand how black holes feed and how this process influences the evolution of galaxies. The research was published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.