Our galaxy has a huge — you might even say *supermassive* — black hole at its centre. Turns out, so do most other large galaxies. Typically, black holes are portrayed as monstrous, pitch-black space beasts gobbling up stars and planets — but Emily is here to salvage their reputation. See, some supermassive black holes are special: called quasars, they emit stupendous jets of energy that stretch across intergalactic space, sending shockwaves into neighbouring galaxies that can kickstart new star formation. Black holes aren't all destruction and chaos!
Want to help us make Syzygy even better?
Tell your friends and give us a review,
or show your support on Patreon:
patreon.com/syzygypod
Huge thanks to our patrons, listed over on the
Cosmic Great Wall of Gratitude
Help us make Syzygy even better! Tell your friends and give us a review, or show your support on Patreon: patreon.com/syzygypod
Syzygy is produced by Chris Stewart and co-hosted by Dr Emily Brunsden from the Department of Physics at the University of York.
On the web: syzygy.fm | Twitter: @syzygypod
Things we talked about in this episode:
The Supermassive Black Hole paper and press release
A good article about the research
All about SMBHs