May 27, 2009--An artist's conception shows a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy. The black hole at the heart of the galaxy 1H0707-495 is being probed more closely than ever before by ESA's XMM-Newton spaceborne observatory.

(See more black hole pictures.)

Astronomers' view of the black hole was thought to have been partially shrouded by clouds of gas and dust. But the new x-ray observations have cut through the haze to reveal the galaxy's innermost depths.