NASA’s Chandra Sees Black Hole Stirring “Pot” Containing Galactic Potato
Astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered a black hole preventing star formation in a distant galaxy nicknamed the 'red potato.' The black hole appears to be heating the surrounding gas, which inhibits the galaxy's ability to form new stars.
Why it matters
This finding provides new insights into how supermassive black holes regulate galaxy growth and star formation in the early universe.
A black hole may be stirring a “pot” of gas containing a neighboring galaxy in the early universe. This galaxy is located at an intersection where gigantic web-like structures of galaxies and gas meet in the early universe. A composite image shows this galaxy in X-rays from Chandra (blue), optical light data from the VLT (red), and infrared data from Webb (red, green, and blue). Evidence shows that a jet from a neighboring galaxy’s black hole may be keeping the gas around the red potato turbulent, preventing it from forming large amounts of new stars as expected.
Newswise — A black hole may be stirring a "pot" of gas containing a neighboring galaxy in the early universe, according to a new study using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory.
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