NASA X-ray spacecraft looks on as early black hole stirs a cosmic pot with a galactic potato in the midst
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has observed a supermassive black hole heating gas around a distant galaxy nicknamed the 'red potato.' This process explains why the galaxy is not forming new stars despite being surrounded by dense gas.
Why it matters
Understanding how black holes influence star formation in the early universe provides critical insights into galactic evolution and cosmic history.
Black Holes X-ray spacecraft finds supermassive black hole stirring up the 'red potato' galaxy: 'There may be a cook in this cosmic kitchen' News By Robert Lea Published 27 July 2026 "Stars are not forming like we thought they would, so we went searching for the reason why."
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works .
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in