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NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has provided an unprecedented look at the Circinus galaxy’s supermassive black hole. New observations challenge previous theories, revealing that the majority of the galaxy’s infrared emissions come from the black hole’s torus rather than its outflows. By using Webb’s Aperture Masking Interferometer, astronomers doubled the telescope’s resolution, producing the sharpest infrared image of an extragalactic black hole yet. The findings show 87% of emissions originate near the black hole, with less than 1% coming from outflows. This technique allows for deeper analysis of black holes throughout the universe and reshapes our understanding of these cosmic phenomena.
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