Scientists for years thought the galaxy SDSS1335+0728 was about as remarkable as its serial code name.
Then it did something scientists had never seen a galaxy do: Suddenly, this frankly forgettable space neighborhood 300 million light-years away threw the lights on. That happened nearly five years ago, and it’s only gotten brighter since.
Astronomers believe they just bore witness to a supermassive black hole, the sleeping giant at its galactic center, awakening. Previously, no one had seen a black hole rousing as it was happening.
“Imagine you’ve been observing a distant galaxy for years, and it always seemed calm and inactive,” said Paula Sánchez Sáez, an astronomer at the European Southern Observatory, in a statement. “Suddenly, its [core] starts showing dramatic changes in brightness, unlike any typical events we’ve seen before.”
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