Using high powered equipment to peer into space, astronomers have managed to spot a supermassive black hole, and it seems to be burping up its galactic meal, according to NASA's press release.
There are two galaxies monitored by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory that are having a major interaction. One is galaxy NGC 5194 and the other is NGC 5195, which also contains the supermassive black hole.
Astronomers have noted that as the two attempt to merge, there are gasses being blown from massive collisions. It appear almost as if the black hole, after taking in an influx of matter, began to burp large waves of gas, as if it just had a heavy meal, according to CNN.
The event is occurring after the smaller galaxy containing the black hole, took on the larger galaxy, with the black hole taking in loads of extra matter before expelling energy, according to BBC News.
Eric Schlegel, leader of the Chandra x-ray's research, said that the event is important and gives us humans a glimpse at how a rare phenomenon.
"Our observation is important because this behavior would likely happen very often in the early universe, altering the evolution of galaxies," he said. "It is common for big black holes to expel gas outward, but rare to have such a close, resolved view of these events."
