Active supermassive black holes may be rarer than previously thought
Perhaps our own galaxy’s black hole grew slower than suspected
![In this illustration of a supermassive black hole, rays of bright gas escape from the center of a disc-shaped gray cloud.](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/083023_di_missing_black_holes_feat.jpg?fit=1030%2C580&ssl=1)
Some supermassive black holes go through a phase of rapid growth, forming an active galactic nucleus (illustrated) that can glow brighter than the surrounding galaxy.
ESA, NASA and Paolo Padovani/AVO project