Active Black Holes Spur Star-Forming Rings in 9 Galaxies, Challenging Suppression Models
Updated
Updated · IFLScience · Sep 16
Active Black Holes Spur Star-Forming Rings in 9 Galaxies, Challenging Suppression Models
3 articles · Updated · IFLScience · Sep 16
Summary
Nine nearby galaxies observed with the Very Large Telescope show active galactic nuclei linked to rings or arcs of newborn stars, indicating black holes can trigger star formation rather than only shut it down.
Radiation cones extend away from galactic planes while shock fronts spread perpendicular to those outflows; researchers say jets in stronger AGNs and possibly winds in weaker ones compress gas into star-forming structures.
The new stellar rings span about 2,600 to 19,600 light-years, and Chandra X-ray data independently confirmed the black holes' activity and the surrounding feedback cycle.
The findings, published in The Astrophysical Journal, suggest black hole accretion and ejection reshape galaxies in a more complex way than standard models of star-formation suppression assumed.