Flipboard Science DeskIn contrast to the popular idea of black holes constantly "gobbling up" matter, they can spend long periods of time in a dormant, inactive phase. But sometimes, they pop back to life. Such was the case with the black hole at the center of an unremarkable galaxy some 300 light-years away. The gravitational monster "suddenly lit up and recently began producing unprecedented flashes of X-ray light.” Read about it from phys.org:
From boring to bursting: A giant black hole awakens
Although we know that supermassive black holes (millions of times the mass of our sun) lurk at the center of most galaxies, their very nature makes them difficult to spot and study. In contrast to the popular idea of black holes constantly "gobbling up" matter, these gravitational monsters can spend long periods of time in a dormant, inactive phase.