Looking for what observations miss
Meg Urry studies supermassive black holes at Yale. She describes combining observations at different wavelengths, including visible light, infrared and X-rays, to investigate how black holes grow. The question is not only what a telescope sees, but what it might miss. An incomplete view can shape the story researchers tell.
A reminder to check the picture
Urry explains how relying on visible light can overlook black-hole activity hidden by surrounding material. She credits several research groups with developing ways to find and count these obscured objects. Her emphasis is on testing explanations against observations and recognising the limits of the available data, rather than treating a plausible idea as the final answer.
Support at a different age
Her answer to a question about advice for her fifteen-year-old self takes an unexpected turn. She remembers being confident then; it was her later self, in her twenties, who needed encouragement. She also recalls a woman colleague helping her notice how repeated dismissive interactions affected her confidence.