Blasts of black hole winds may cut off galactic star formation

A new research has suggested that supermassive black holes can blast gas and dust out of their host galaxies, in fact, the black hole blowhards can eject so much of a galaxy's star-building materials that they halt star formation all together.

By combining observations from the Japan-led Suzaku X-ray satellite and the European Space Agency's infrared Herschel Space Observatory, scientists have connected a fierce "wind" produced near a galaxy's monster black hole to an outward torrent of cold gas a thousand light-years across.

The finding validated a long-suspected feedback mechanism enabling a supermassive black hole to influence the evolution of its host galaxy.

Researchers spotted the phenomenon by turning Suzaku, a satellite operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and NASA, towards a chaotic galaxy called IRAS F11119+3257.

There was plenty of fuel for the black hole to take in, leading to violent winds that pushed galactic building materials out until star formation slowed and stopped.

The team members hope to find more examples of this black hole push and pull now that they know what to look for.

The study is published in Nature.