Post by The Australian National University

Grace Blomfield is peering into the hearts of the brightest galaxies to uncover the physics behind black holes. Quasars are among the most luminous objects in the Universe – the brilliant cores of distant galaxies powered by supermassive black holes consuming vast amounts of material. As an honours student at the ANU School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Grace has developed a novel approach to analysing the extreme radiation of high-luminosity quasars and what these reveal about the black holes at their centre. Grace’s research provides new insights into the physical conditions and geometry of gas flowing onto supermassive black holes, laying down a foundation that will inform James Webb Space Telescope observations and shape many future quasar studies. For this work, Grace is the winner of the Astronomical Society of Australia’s Bok Prize for Outstanding Research by an Honours Student or eligible Masters Student. Read more about the ASA 2026 prizewinners here: quicklink.anu.edu.au/0z0v ANU College of Science & Medicine Mount Stromlo Observatory