Look at this NASA picture of a giant black hole and read the paragraph.

A bright white spot surrounded by a thick ring of matter.

(Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/A.Siemiginowska et al; Optical: NASA/STScI; Radio: NSF/NRAO/VLA)

Black holes cannot be seen without X-rays. If a telescope focuses on X-rays, we see a bright spot surrounding the black hole and a larger doughnut-shaped mass around that. The bright spot is gas, glowing at one million degrees. Any visible light it makes is absorbed by the doughnut-shaped mass of dust and gas around it. So we can only see it using X-rays. This is called a hidden or buried black hole.

What does the photograph show to support the paragraph?

a black hole seen in visible light without X-rays
a buried black hole that looks like a doughnut
million-degree gas inside a black hole
the specific location of a buried black hole

1 answer

The photograph shows a buried black hole that looks like a doughnut. This is supported by the description in the paragraph that mentions a bright spot (the gas) surrounded by a thick ring of matter (the doughnut-shaped mass of dust and gas).