A new way of measuring the mass of supermassive black holes
could revolutionise our understanding of how they form and help to shape
galaxies.
The technique, developed by a team including Oxford
University scientists, can spot the telltale tracer of carbon monoxide within
the cloud of gas (mostly hydrogen) circling a supermassive black hole at the
centre of a distant galaxy. By detecting the velocity of the spinning gas they
are able to 'weigh' (determine the mass) of the black hole.