Strange Galaxy Cluster Ignores Massive Black Hole, Forms Stars

Astronomers question why a supermassive black hole in the Phoenix Cluster doesn't disrupt star formation like its peers do.

By Erika K. Carlson
Nov 22, 2019 2:00 PMNov 22, 2019 8:12 PM
Phoenix Galaxy Cluster Multi-Wavelength
Detailed, high-resolution images of the Phoenix Cluster let astronomers see the galaxy cluster forming stars in its center despite the presence of a supermassive black hole. (Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/MIT/M.McDonald et al; Radio: NRAO/AUI/NSF; Optical: NASA/STScI)

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For the first time, astronomers have spotted active bursts of stars forming in a galaxy at the center of a dense cluster. In galaxy clusters, supermassive black holes in the central galaxies typically heat up gases, keeping them from condensing into new stars.

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