Astronomers witness supermassive black hole eat its own galaxy's star-forming gas

By Nicky Phillips
Updated April 7 2015 - 11:08am, first published March 26 2015 - 10:54am
Artist's impression: red gas pours out of a galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its core. Photo: ESA/ATG medialab
Artist's impression: red gas pours out of a galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its core. Photo: ESA/ATG medialab
Astronomers have seen how supermassive black holes consume their host galaxy's star-forming gas. Photo: ESA/ATG medialab
Astronomers have seen how supermassive black holes consume their host galaxy's star-forming gas. Photo: ESA/ATG medialab
Black holes gather matter in a disc (orange), part of which is push away by a wind (blue). This powers a large-scale outflow of gas. Photo: ESA/ATG medialab
Black holes gather matter in a disc (orange), part of which is push away by a wind (blue). This powers a large-scale outflow of gas. Photo: ESA/ATG medialab
Artist's impression: red gas pours out of a galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its core. Photo: ESA/ATG medialab
Artist's impression: red gas pours out of a galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its core. Photo: ESA/ATG medialab
Black holes gather matter in a disc (orange), part of which is push away by a wind (blue). This powers a large-scale outflow of gas. Photo: ESA/ATG medialab
Black holes gather matter in a disc (orange), part of which is push away by a wind (blue). This powers a large-scale outflow of gas. Photo: ESA/ATG medialab
Astronomers have seen how supermassive black holes consume their host galaxy's star-forming gas. Photo: ESA/ATG medialab
Astronomers have seen how supermassive black holes consume their host galaxy's star-forming gas. Photo: ESA/ATG medialab
Artist's impression: red gas pours out of a galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its core. Photo: ESA/ATG medialab
Artist's impression: red gas pours out of a galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its core. Photo: ESA/ATG medialab
Astronomers have seen how supermassive black holes consume their host galaxy's star-forming gas. Photo: ESA/ATG medialab
Astronomers have seen how supermassive black holes consume their host galaxy's star-forming gas. Photo: ESA/ATG medialab
Black holes gather matter in a disc (orange), part of which is push away by a wind (blue). This powers a large-scale outflow of gas. Photo: ESA/ATG medialab
Black holes gather matter in a disc (orange), part of which is push away by a wind (blue). This powers a large-scale outflow of gas. Photo: ESA/ATG medialab
Artist's impression: red gas pours out of a galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its core. Photo: ESA/ATG medialab
Artist's impression: red gas pours out of a galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its core. Photo: ESA/ATG medialab
Astronomers have seen how supermassive black holes consume their host galaxy's star-forming gas. Photo: ESA/ATG medialab
Astronomers have seen how supermassive black holes consume their host galaxy's star-forming gas. Photo: ESA/ATG medialab
Black holes gather matter in a disc (orange), part of which is push away by a wind (blue). This powers a large-scale outflow of gas. Photo: ESA/ATG medialab
Black holes gather matter in a disc (orange), part of which is push away by a wind (blue). This powers a large-scale outflow of gas. Photo: ESA/ATG medialab

The three little pigs were rightly outraged when the wolf blew down their houses, but that's nothing compared to the havoc some supermassive black holes wreak on their host galaxies.

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