Telescopes do not photograph a black hole itself: it emits or reflects no light. Instead, astronomers detect radiation from hot material around an actively feeding black hole and combine observations at wavelengths that dust and gas affect differently. Infrared light can reveal energy re-emitted by dust, while higher-energy X-rays can escape some of the dense material that blocks lower-energy X-rays.
What does a telescope actually observe?
A black hole is effectively invisible to a telescope because it does not emit or reflect light, as NASA explains. The observable signal usually comes from matter around an actively feeding black hole. As that material heats up, it can emit radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum, including infrared light and X-rays.
Dust can absorb or obscure some of that radiation, especially visible and ultraviolet light. The black hole itself is not revealed when astronomers observe at another wavelength; they are detecting its environment and inferring what is happening at the hidden center. A quiet black hole without bright surrounding material is much harder to find with these methods.
How does infrared help astronomers study dusty black holes?
Dust absorbs ultraviolet and visible light, then re-emits some of that energy as infrared light. Longer infrared wavelengths also pass through dusty regions more readily than visible wavelengths. That lets infrared observatories study emission from heated dust and material within or around obscured regions. It does not make dust completely transparent or show the black hole’s event horizon.
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Webb observes near- and mid-infrared wavelengths. Earlier work in NASA’s GOODS field offers a useful example of the approach: Chandra X-ray sources had no obvious visible-light counterparts, but Spitzer infrared observations revealed active galactic nuclei. A source that appears absent in one wavelength can be detectable in another.
Why can X-rays reveal a hidden black hole?
Hot material close to an actively feeding black hole emits X-rays. Gas and dust around it absorb lower-energy X-rays more readily, while higher-energy X-rays can pass through more of the obscuring material. Chandra can detect and localize X-ray sources; NuSTAR’s higher-energy observations help characterize heavily obscured sources.
Detection is not guaranteed: a source may be faint, and observations may need long exposure times. Astronomers can use infrared observations to identify promising targets for X-ray follow-up rather than searching for every candidate with lengthy X-ray observations.
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Why combine infrared, X-ray, optical, and radio observations?
Each wavelength helps answer a different question. Infrared observations can reveal energy re-emitted by dust; X-rays can indicate hot material near an accreting black hole and help characterize obscuration; optical data can show the host galaxy or an unobscured quasar; and radio or submillimeter observations can reveal surrounding structures or nearby companion galaxies.
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What does the PSO167-13 case show?
In a 2019 report, NASA described Chandra observations of PSO167-13 that detected only three relatively high-energy X-ray photons during 16 hours of observing. Researchers proposed that heavy obscuration had absorbed lower-energy X-rays, leaving the higher-energy photons detectable.
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At the time of the report, PSO167-13 was described as a candidate cloaked quasar from an era about 850 million years after the Big Bang. NASA noted that longer Chandra observations were needed both to estimate the degree of obscuration and to confidently associate the X-ray source with the quasar rather than a nearby companion. The case shows why a sparse signal can be suggestive without settling every part of the interpretation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How common are hidden feeding supermassive black holes?
NASA/JPL’s 2025 summary of a study reported that at least 35 percent of feeding supermassive black holes are hidden. The estimate combined ten years of NuSTAR data with measurements from other missions, including IRAS. It applies to feeding supermassive black holes, not to every black hole in the universe.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchThe estimate has classification limits: infrared-selected samples can include star-forming galaxies whose emission resembles that of obscured black holes, and the report notes that some candidates were not heavily obscured black holes. It is best read as the estimate reported by that study, not as a universal census.
Can a backyard telescope observe a black hole hidden by dust?
No. The examples above rely on space observatories and large research facilities, including Chandra, NuSTAR, Webb, Spitzer, IRAS, and ALMA. They detect X-ray, infrared, or radio and submillimeter signals and use specialized data processing. A backyard visible-light telescope cannot image a black hole hidden by cosmic dust in this way.
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