NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has delivered its sharpest look yet at the Circinus galaxy, revealing how material flows toward its central supermassive black hole.

Circinus, a spiral galaxy located roughly 13 million light-years from Earth, contains an active supermassive black hole at its center. For decades, astronomers have struggled to observe this region directly because of intense radiation, dense dust, and overwhelming starlight that obscured the galaxy’s core. Webb’s advanced infrared capabilities have now pierced that veil.

A clearer picture of a hidden engine

Using Webb’s Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph equipped with an Aperture Masking Interferometer, researchers were able to isolate the black hole’s immediate surroundings with extraordinary precision. The technique effectively allowed the telescope to function as a much larger observatory, sharply increasing resolution in a small region of space.

This approach enabled scientists to separate infrared emissions from different structures around the black hole, something that was not possible with earlier telescopes. The results challenge long-standing assumptions about where energy in active galaxies originates.

Rethinking infrared emissions

Earlier models suggested that much of the infrared radiation detected near active galactic nuclei came from high-speed outflows of hot material. Webb’s observations tell a different story.

The data show that the vast majority of infrared light in Circinus comes from dense dust very close to the black hole itself, within the thick torus of material feeding it. Researchers found that approximately 87% of the infrared emission originates near the accretion disk, while less than 1% comes from dusty outflows. The remaining emission comes from dust farther away that could not previously be distinguished.

Explaining the challenge researchers faced, lead author Enrique Lopez-Rodriguez said in a NASA statement:

“Since the ‘90s, it has not been possible to explain excess infrared emissions that come from hot dust at the cores of active galaxies, meaning the models only take into account either the torus or the outflows, but cannot explain that excess.”

Webb’s interferometry breakthrough

The Aperture Masking Interferometer played a crucial role by filtering out surrounding starlight and reconstructing fine details from interference patterns. This marks the first time such a technique has been used from space to study an object beyond the Milky Way.

Co-author Joel Sanchez-Bermudez of the National Autonomous University of Mexico explained the impact of the method:

“By using an advanced imaging mode of the camera, we can effectively double its resolution over a smaller area of the sky. Instead of Webb’s 6.5-meter diameter, it’s like we are observing this region with a 13-meter space telescope.”

Implications beyond Circinus

Researchers caution that Circinus may not represent all active galaxies. Its black hole is relatively moderate in brightness, which could explain why emissions are dominated by the dust torus rather than energetic outflows.

Lopez-Rodriguez noted that studying a broader sample will be critical:

“We need a statistical sample of black holes, perhaps a dozen or two dozen, to understand how mass in their accretion disks and their outflows relate to their power.”

Future observations using the same technique could help astronomers determine whether Circinus is typical or an exception among nearby galaxies.

Opening a new window on black holes

Julien Girard of the Space Telescope Science Institute emphasized the broader significance of the achievement:

“It is the first time a high-contrast mode of Webb has been used to look at an extragalactic source.”

The research team hopes the results encourage other astronomers to apply interferometry to study faint, compact structures near bright cosmic objects.

The findings were published January 13 in Nature Communications and represent one of Webb’s most detailed examinations yet of the environment surrounding a supermassive black hole.