Black holes may help create stars instead of destroying them, new observations reveal

Supermassive black holes are frequently associated with powerful outflows capable of heating and dispersing the gas from which new stars form. However, new research involving nine nearby galaxies suggests that their influence may be more complex than previously understood. By examining the regions surrounding actively growing black holes, astronomers have identified star-forming rings, extended cones of ionized gas and powerful shock waves, revealing how black hole activity interacts with the interstellar medium and potentially influences the birth of new stars. The findings, published in the peer-reviewed journal The Astrophysical Journal, provide new observational evidence for understanding the relationship between supermassive black holes and the evolution of their host galaxies.

Nine galaxies reveal a common pattern of black hole activity

The research team, led by Peixin Zhu of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, analyzed nine nearby Type 2 Seyfert galaxies using the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE), installed on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile. By combining spatially resolved spectroscopy with theoretical models, the researchers developed a clearer picture of three processes that frequently overlap in galactic observations: radiation from active galactic nuclei, ionization associated with young stars, and shock excitation produced when high-velocity gas interacts with the interstellar medium. This approach allowed them to distinguish the different physical mechanisms responsible for the observed emission rather than attributing all energetic activity to the central black holes.

The team identified a remarkably consistent configuration across the sample, including star-forming rings or arcs at projected distances of approximately 0.8–6 kiloparsecs from the galactic centers, equivalent to roughly 2,600–19,600 light-years. They also detected extended biconical regions ionized by radiation from the active nuclei, together with central regions dominated by fast shocks that frequently extend perpendicular to the radiation cones. Additional shock-dominated structures appeared around the central regions and, in some cases, within the star-forming rings themselves. Observations from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory independently supported the researchers’ interpretation of these structures.

Can black holes actually stimulate star formation?

The findings challenge an overly simplified interpretation of active galactic nuclei as mechanisms that exclusively suppress star formation. Although energetic outflows can heat or expel gas and consequently reduce the material available for stellar birth, interactions between these outflows and the surrounding medium may also compress gas under certain conditions, potentially promoting star formation. However, the authors emphasize an important limitation: the observed circumnuclear rings are consistent with resonances driven by galactic bars, and the observations do not demonstrate that the black holes themselves created them. Positive feedback from active galactic nuclei remains a possible contributing mechanism rather than an established causal explanation.

The investigation also suggests that the central shocks are compatible with interactions between relativistic jets and the interstellar medium, while winds from the active nuclei may contribute significantly in galaxies with weaker jets. These results offer a more detailed understanding of how supermassive black holes redistribute energy within galaxies and demonstrate why distinguishing radiation, shocks and stellar activity is essential for determining their actual influence on galactic evolution. Rather than establishing a universal relationship between black holes and stellar birth, the study reveals a complex feedback cycle in which accretion, outflows and interactions with surrounding gas must be examined together.

© 2026 Homer Dávila Gutiérrez, FRAS — SKYCR.ORG. All rights reserved. Scientific publication: Peixin Zhu et al., Common Excitation Patterns of Star Formation, Active Galactic Nuclei, and Shocks in Seyfert Galaxies. The Astrophysical Journal (2026). DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ae9956 .