Astronomy Cast Ep. 781: Awakening Black Holes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpZRjII8qkc

Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest)

Streamed live on Feb 2, 2026.

One long standing mystery in astronomy were the quasars. Incomprehensible energy blasting out of a point-like source, billions of light years away. We now know these are actively feeding supermassive black holes, which can turn off and on in a startlingly short period of time. Today: When black holes awaken! Our Universe is filled with sleeping monsters. And sometimes, whether we want it or not, they wake up hungry. In this episode, we take a look at the science behind how and why black holes of all sizes can go from nothing to the triggers of massive high-energy power release.

This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast

In this episode, we'd like to thank: Burry Gowen, Eric Lee, Jeanette Wink, Michael Purcell, Andrew Poelstra, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Joe McTee, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler, Sergio Sancevero

Image credit: LOFAR/Pan-STARRS/S. Kumari et al.

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