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Swallowed by a Black Hole

Episode 15 of 18

As a gas cloud strayed within the gravitational reach of a black hole at the centre of the Milky Way, it was hoped we would observe a feeding supermassive black hole in action.

In summer 2013, the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way was getting ready to feast.

A gas cloud three times the size of our planet strayed within the gravitational reach of our nearest supermassive black hole. Across the globe, telescopes were being trained on the heart of our galaxy, some 27,000 light years from Earth, in the expectation of observing this unique cosmic spectacle.

For cosmic detectives across the Earth, it was a unique opportunity. For the first time in the history of science, they hoped to observe in action the awesome spectacle of a feeding supermassive black hole.

59 minutes

Credits

Role Contributor
Producer Dan Clifton
Series Editor Aidan Laverty
Series Editor James Van Der Pool

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