Galaxy Evolution Can be Affected by Black Hole Jets

What happened

In recent decades, astronomers have found evidence that supermassive black holes can really mess with their galaxies' evolution. Galaxy Evolution Can be Affected by Black Hole Jets By Carolyn Collins Petersen - October 07, 2026 01:25 AM UTC | Extragalactic In recent decades, astronomers have found evidence that supermassive black holes can really mess with their galaxies' evolution.

They gobble up material intended for star formation, quenching the birth of stars. Conversely, jets streaming away from those hungry monsters can also energize gas-rich regions and enhance the chances of a galaxy birthing batches of stars in those areas.

Conversely, jets streaming away from those hungry monsters can energize gas-rich regions and enhance the chances of a galaxy birthing batches of stars in those areas. A recent study by a team of astronomers at Arizona State University and Raman Research Institute in India focused on large envelopes of gas that seem to surround many galaxies, including the Milky Way.

This reservoir, called the circumgalactic medium (or CGM for short), can be quite huge — sometimes stretching out 10 to 20 times the size of the visible part of a galaxy. The CGM is a so-called "baryon reservoir" (meaning visible material) that contributes to and regulates the long-term evolution of a galaxy.

Key facts

• In recent decades, astronomers have — found: evidence that supermassive black holes can really mess with their galaxies' evolution