The mass of a supermassive black hole thought to power a typical bright active galactic nucleus is roughly .
A)3 solar masses
B)1 billion solar masses
C)1 trillion solar masses
D)10 solar masses

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Supermassive black holes in bright active galactic nuclei are typically between millions and billions of solar masses. Choice A (3 solar masses) is too small for a supermassive black hole, and choice D (10 solar masses) is too small to power a bright active galactic nucleus. Choice C (1 trillion solar masses) is too large for most supermassive black holes observed.

The Mass of a Supermassive Black Hole Thought to Power