'11 billion light-years away': NASA's James Webb Telescope discovers star-eating black holes in 19 galaxies

Supermassive Black Holes

Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), researchers found that galaxies with active supermassive black holes produce stars at slower rates compared to those without such black holes.

Spiderweb Protocluster

The team analysed 19 galaxies in the Spiderweb protocluster, located 11 billion light-years away. Eight of these galaxies host active supermassive black holes and exhibit little to no star formation.

Mechanism

Supermassive black holes are thought to eject gas through relativistic jets or draw it beyond their event horizons, depleting the star-forming material within galaxies.

Mapping of Star

Using JWST’s Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam), researchers mapped hydrogen recombination lines, which indicate star formation activity. The data showed that galaxies with active black holes lacked such activity.

End Stages of Evolution


The findings align with the theory that massive elliptical galaxies, typically hosting supermassive black holes, experience minimal star formation. These galaxies likely result from mergers and collisions of smaller galaxies.

Comparative Observations

By combining JWST data with X-ray observations from NASA's Chandra Observatory, scientists confirmed a pattern: galaxies with the most active black holes had the lowest star formation rate

Future Research


The study provides evidence that supermassive black holes can significantly influence galaxy evolution. Published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on Dec. 18, it highlights the need for further research on the mechanisms driving this relationship.