Niv Drory

The Orion Nebula is a showcase of astrophysics, a laboratory for studying star formation right in our backyard. For over a century, its light has been split into spectra, and each forbidden line whispers its own version of how many electrons per cubic centimeter.

At the center of the Large Magellanic Cloud, the massive dwarf galaxy nearest to us, the conductor is invisible. Astronomers have long suspected that a supermassive black hole is hiding there, but telescopes catch no radiation from it. It is as if an orchestra were playing without a baton: stars whirl, gas glows, and the source of gravity directing this dance stays in the shadows.