Scientists have developed a new technique of measuring the mass of supermassive black holes which they say could revolutionise our understanding of how they form and help to shape galaxies.
The method, developed by a team including Oxford University scientists, can spot the telltale tracer of carbon monoxide within the cloud of gas (mostly hydrogen) circling a supermassive black hole at the centre of a distant galaxy.
By detecting the velocity of the spinning gas they are able to “weigh” (determine the mass) of the black hole.
Detailed information on supermassive black holes, thought to be at the heart of most galaxies, is scarce: it has taken 15 years to measure the mass of just 60.
The problem is that most other supermassive black holes are too far away to examine properly. The new method, when combined with new telescopes promises to extend this black hole “weigh-in” to thousands of galaxies.