hidden_black_holes_come_into_view mp21k Hidden black holes come into view 2 June 2004 Astronomers have discovered 31 previously undetected supermassive black holes with a "virtual" observatory - the first major discovery to be made with the virtual approach to astronomy. Paolo Padovani of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and colleagues at ESO, Strasbourg and Cambridge found the objects by looking for certain types of quasar. The results suggest that there could be two or more times as many supermassive black holes - which are billions of times heavier than the Sun - than previously thought (Astronomy & Astrophysics to be published). http://physicsweb.org/article/news/8/6/1 040606 ... iJun062004 An artist’s impression showing the dust ring or torus around a super-massive black hole (photo credit: ESA/NASA, the AVO project and Paolo Padovani) http://physicsweb.org/box/news/8/6/1/padovani 040606 ... . ... 040607 ...