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Active Black Holes Reshape Galaxies with Star-Forming Rings and Shocks
Confirmed
In Short: New research based on observations from the VLT/MUSE instrument reveals that active galactic nuclei are associated with star-forming rings and shock waves, reshaping their host galaxies.
The research, based on observations from the VLT/MUSE instrument, shows that active galactic nuclei (AGN), or bright regions powered by material falling into a supermassive black hole, are associated with star-forming rings or arcs, cone-shaped regions of energized gas, and fast 'shocks,' which occur when energy outflows interact with surrounding gas. Lisa Kewley, an astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, explains, 'We’re seeing that black holes are not just consuming material at the centers of galaxies, but they’re actively reshaping their surroundings.
Across the sample, the researchers found that star-forming rings or arcs appeared at distances of about 0.8 to 6 kiloparsecs from the galactic center, while the researchers also found evidence for shocks in directions perpendicular to the AGN bicones. The MUSE instrument provided spatially-resolved optical data, while the state-of-the-art theoretical models built by Zhu and her colleagues allowed them to compare observations with predictions for black hole activity, star formation, and shocks.
The findings, published today in The Astrophysical Journal, give a new perspective on how AGN feedback could influence the growth and evolution of galaxies. 'The injection and accretion are linked with each other,' says Peixin. 'This work helps us understand a complex feedback cycle that plays an important role in galaxy evolution.
The study focused on galaxies whose central black holes are actively accreting, or pulling in, nearby material. The colors in images represent star formation in red, black-hole radiation in blue, and shocks in yellow, providing a visual representation of the complex interactions within these galaxies.
What's confirmed
- The research, based on observations from the VLT/MUSE instrument, shows that active galactic nuclei (AGN), or bright regions powered by material falling into a supermassive black hole, are associated with star-forming rings or arcs, cone-shaped regions of energized gas, and fast 'shocks,' which occur when energy outflows interact with surrounding gas. Lisa Kewley, an astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, explains, 'We’re seeing that black holes are not just consuming material at the centers of galaxies, but they’re actively reshaping their surroundings.
- Across the sample, the researchers found that star-forming rings or arcs appeared at distances of about 0.8 to 6 kiloparsecs from the galactic center, while the researchers also found evidence for shocks in directions perpendicular to the AGN bicones. The MUSE instrument provided spatially-resolved optical data, while the state-of-the-art theoretical models built by Zhu and her colleagues allowed them to compare observations with predictions for black hole activity, star formation, and shocks.
- The findings, published today in The Astrophysical Journal, give a new perspective on how AGN feedback could influence the growth and evolution of galaxies. 'The injection and accretion are linked with each other,' says Peixin. 'This work helps us understand a complex feedback cycle that plays an important role in galaxy evolution.
- The study focused on galaxies whose central black holes are actively accreting, or pulling in, nearby material. The colors in images represent star formation in red, black-hole radiation in blue, and shocks in yellow, providing a visual representation of the complex interactions within these galaxies.
What's still developing
- Image of galaxy NGC 1386, taken with Legacy Surveys DR10 Cambridge, MA (September 14, 2026) —A new study of nine nearby galaxies has shown that actively growing supermassive black holes may contribute to star formation, instead preventing star formation, in their host galaxies.
- Shock excitation occurs when high-speed outflows from the central black hole collide with the interstellar medium.
- The two teams of astronomers propose that they are looking at a new astronomical object: a topsy-turvy lump of hydrogen that shines with the light of billions of suns while hiding a black hole deep in its core.
- They argued that the Webb telescope is witnessing the births of supermassive black holes inside the cores of colossal stars.
- Astronomers first argued that little red dots were distant galaxies on the cosmic horizon, mainly because of their brightness.