Learn why a black hole is becoming active and why experts still can't explain the source of its regular, periodic pattern of X-ray energy flashes.

Scientists have observed a previously inactive supermassive black hole producing regular, powerful X-ray eruptions that challenge existing models.

Researchers have spent the past few years watching a black hole re-awaken roughly 300 million light-years away from Earth. And what they’ve documented challenges prevailing theories about black hole lifecycles. The groundbreaking observations are detailed in a study published on April 11 in Nature Astronomy.