The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), launched in late 2021 to perform infrared astronomy, has continued to make significant discoveries. Most recently, JWST observed a galaxy’s supermassive black hole that is voiding its host galaxy of vital gas and dust to form new stars. The galaxy is named GS-10578, also referred to as Pablo’s Galaxy, and is located about 12 billion light years away, only 1-2 billion years after the universe was created. This galaxy is very young, relatively speaking, and reaches back to the early stages of the universe. Because light is very slow at cosmic scales, we are seeing this galaxy as it was 12 billion years ago; the closest we will likely get to time travel, but this discrepancy gives researchers an important peek into the origins of our universe.
image credit: Francesco D’Eugenio
A dormant galaxy that has seized star production such as Pablo’s Galaxy is called a quiescent galaxy. The curious thing though is that this galaxy is far too young to be at the end of its life, and the reason for this premature death? Massive jets being shot out by the supermassive black hole that is at the center of Pablo’s Galaxy. Researches were initially complexed by the large galaxy that seemed to lack new star formation, and thought that there may be a link between the black hole and the end of star formation. Francesco D’Eugenio from the Kavli Institute for Cosmology said, “[...] until the JWST, we haven’t been able to study this galaxy in enough detail to confirm that link […].” JWST has opened thousands of new doors for exploration of the cosmos.
During this early time in the universe’s life, galaxies were forming lots of new stars. Even still, Pablo’s Galaxy is exceptionally large relative to other galaxies at that time, and was also unique because of its early demise. Given the galaxy needed a lot of time to grow to this size, the cut-off of star formation must have happened quickly. The high temperature gas surrounding the black hole and the high rate of rotation of the black hole (meaning a strong magnetic field), shoots the matter out the magnetic poles and is more than enough to “kill” a galaxy. By observing the stream of gas coming out of Pablo’s Galaxy (traveling over 2 million miles per hour), it is clear to researchers that there is not enough dust and gas staying within the confines of the galaxy to create new stars. But just how dead is Pablo’s Galaxy, and will it be able to bounce back? Quiescent galaxies can come back from the grave, but not enough data has been collected at this point in time.
Research will be continuing on Pablo’s Galaxy, including a survey using the Atacama Large Millimeter-Submillimeter Array. This is an array of 66 radio telescopes that can perform detailed imaging of celestial phenomena. This survey will continue to look at the gas remaining within Pablo’s Galaxy, as well as its impact on the surrounding space. Currently, Pablo’s Galaxy does not yet show the typical disturbances that would be seen in a quiescent galaxy, which makes further research all the more important. Understanding the dynamics of this galaxy is critical to understanding its past and future, as it takes millions of years for galaxies to change and morph, far too long for us to observe. The figure below shows the orderly rotation of the galaxy and how it is still well-structured, just as a thriving galaxy would be. These models are also useful for comparing to other galaxies that are believed to be in the same stages of life.
image credit: D'Eugenio and Maiolino
*After an exclusive access period, the JWST data will be available to the public. All data gathered by JWST is eventually made public, which means that private researchers and citizens can explore this data and even make additional discoveries!*
Lea, R. (2024, September 16). James Webb Space Telescope witnesses a black hole “killing” its galaxy (photo). Space.com. https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-sees-black-hole-kill-galaxy
Gough, E. (2024, September 16). A Black Hole has Almost Halted Star Formation in its Galaxy - Universe Today. Universe Today. https://www.universetoday.com/168558/a-black-hole-has-almost-halted-star-formation-in-its-galaxy/
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