New study finds supermassive black hole jets stop star formation
Turns out, supermassive black holes do more than just sit at the center of galaxies: they can actually stop new stars from forming.
According to a new study published October 2, 2026 in Astrophysical Journal Letters, these black holes shoot out powerful plasma jets that mess with the gas around galaxies, making it harder for stars to be born and slowing down galaxy growth.
Borthakur and Roy analyze DESI, LoTSS
Researchers Sanchayeeta Borthakur and Namrata Roy used data from the DESI survey and the LOFAR Two-meter Sky Survey (LoTSS) to see how these jets work.
They found that even though black holes are tiny compared to their galaxies, their jets reach far into space, hundreds of thousands of light-years!
By energizing and disrupting the gas where stars usually form, these jets basically put galaxy building on pause.
This gives scientists a fresh look at how galaxies evolve and what really shapes them over time.