VISUAL ARCHIVE / IMAGE STORY
Inside the Hidden Nucleus of NGC 1068
A conceptual cutaway of the obscured active nucleus of NGC 1068, showing a supermassive black hole surrounded by hot accreting matter and dense dusty structures. High-energy gamma rays can be absorbed in the surrounding environment while neutrinos produced outside the event horizon may escape into intergalactic space. The internal structure and particle paths are illustrative rather than direct observations. AI-generated illustration.
A conceptual cutaway of the obscured active nucleus of NGC 1068, showing a supermassive black hole surrounded by hot accreting matter and dense dusty structures. High-energy gamma rays can be absorbed in the surrounding environment while neutrinos produced outside the event horizon may escape into intergalactic space. The internal structure and particle paths are illustrative rather than direct observations. AI-generated illustration.
THE OBSERVATION
What we can actually see.
IceCube detects light from charged particles produced in neutrino interactions, then reconstructs event directions and energies. Its NGC 1068 analysis reports statistical evidence for a source against a background, rather than a photograph of the central black hole.
THE ILLUSTRATION
What the artwork imagines.
A conceptual cutaway of the obscured active nucleus of NGC 1068, showing a supermassive black hole surrounded by hot accreting matter and dense dusty structures. High-energy gamma rays can be absorbed in the surrounding environment while neutrinos produced outside the event horizon may escape into intergalactic space. The internal structure and particle paths are illustrative rather than direct observations. AI-generated illustration. The selected artwork is a conceptual reconstruction. Viewpoint, lighting and apparent detail are illustrative, not additional measurements or a confirmed photograph of the depicted event.
FROM THE ILLUSTRATED ARTICLE
The story that inspired it.
IceCube connects a directional excess of high-energy neutrinos with an obscured active galaxy. The signal opens a view of particle acceleration while leaving its exact location and mechanism unsettled.
Read The Black Hole Hid Its Light. The Neutrinos Escaped.CHECK THE RECORD
The image interprets the research below. Follow the original work for the measurements and limits behind the scene.
https://icecube.wisc.edu/data-releases/2022/11/evidence-for-neutrino-emission-from-the-nearby-active-galaxy-ngc-1068/ https://icecube.wisc.edu/news/press-releases/2022/11/icecube-neutrinos-give-us-first-glimpse-into-the-inner-depths-of-an-active-galaxy/ https://icecube.wisc.edu/news/press-releases/2018/07/icecube-neutrinos-point-to-long-sought-cosmic-ray-accelerator/ https://icecube.wisc.edu/news/research/2025/10/evidence-for-neutrino-emission-from-x-ray-emitting-galaxies/ https://icecube.wisc.edu/news/research/2026/03/new-evidence-from-the-southern-hemisphere-links-neutrinos-to-x-ray-bright-active-galaxies/OTHER IMAGE STORIES
Neutrinos from an Obscured Galaxy
Sensors Beneath Antarctic Ice
The Mark Shared by Titan and Pluto