2002/01/30 by Alessandro Marconi, A. Marconi, Marconi, Alessandro
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations #Astrophysics (astro-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Mechanics and Biomechanics Studies #Relativity and Gravitational Theory #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.astro-ph/0201504
Invited review at XXIIIrd Rencontres de Blois "Frontiers of the Universe" 17-23 June 2001
arxiv created 2002/01/30 · openalex publication_date 2002/01/30 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
It has long been suspected that Active Galactic Nuclei are powered by accretion of matter onto massive black holes and this belief implies their presence in the nuclei of most nearby galaxies as "relics" of past activity. Just a few years ago this was considered a paradigm but, recently, new ground-based and Hubble Space Telescope observations are producing a breakthrough in our knowledge on massive black holes. I will review the evidence for the existence of black holes in galactic nuclei and how their presence is related to host galaxy properties and AGN activity.