Astronomers Spot Supermassive Black Hole Shooting Star-Making Gas from a Galaxy

A supermassive black hole at the center of a large galaxy can power huge outpourings of material from the galaxy's core, according to new observations. The outflows of star-making gas can influence the entire fate of the host galaxy.

In this case, the researchers examine a galaxy, called IRA F11119+3257. This galaxy has an actively growing supermassive black hole at its center, which means that this black hole is actively consuming large amounts of gas. As material enters the black hole, it creates friction that gives off electromagnetic radiation, including X-rays and visible light.

Black holes that are active are called active galactic nuclei (AGN). Their intense radiation output generates powerful winds that force material away from the galactic center. This latest study found that these AGN winds are powerful enough to drive large molecular outflows that reach the edges of the galaxy's borders.

"This is the first galaxy in which we can see both the wind from the active galactic nucleus and the large-scale outflow of molecular gas at the same time," said Francesco Tombesi, lead author of the new study, in a news release.

Star formation alone could not explain the intense concentration of energy, which meant that AGN winds must be the primary driver for the radiation.

"These are not like normal spiral or elliptical galaxies. They're like train wrecks," said Slvain Veilleux, one of the researchers. "Two galaxies collided with each other, and it's now a single object. This train wreck provided all the material to feed the supermassive black hole that is now driving the huge galactic-scale outflow."

The findings are published in the journal Nature.

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