A black hole in its host galaxy spotted 9.9 billion lightyears away
Get the next 6 issues of BBC Sky at Night Magazine for just £9.99Black holes are known for their deadly effect on star formation, but this image suggests they may sometimes boost star making.
A composite of radio, optical and X-ray data, this image shows a black hole within a host galaxy (the pink spot near the centre) around 9.9 billion lightyears away.
A gigantic bubble of hot gas generated by the black hole is thought to have expanded and swept through four neighbouring galaxies, creating a shockwave that compressed cool gas, causing stars to form over one million lightyears away.
Image stats
Observatories Chandra X-Ray Observatory, Hubble Space Telescope, Very Large Array
Release date 26 November 2019
Image credit NASA/CXC/INAF/R. Gilli et al.; Radio NRAO/VLA; Optical: NASA/STScI
