Astronomers using the U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) instruments Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and, the U.S. National Science Foundation Very Large Array (NSF VLA), and the W. M. Keck Observatory have uncovered the hidden lives of some of the most massive galaxies in the early Universe, revealing that while some shut down star formation quickly, others continue forming stars behind thick veils of cosmic dust.
Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) were surprised to discover the very earliest phases of giant planet formation between the dense layers of gas and dust in the “Gomez’s Hamburger” system.
Astronomers from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), in conjunction with scientists from the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO) and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA GSFC), using U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) instruments have confirmed the first known triple system in which all three galaxies host actively feeding, radio-bright supermassive black holes.
When two massive, gas‑rich galaxies merge, gravity drives vast amounts of cold molecular gas toward the centers of both systems, where supermassive black holes (SMBHs) reside. These brief, turbulent phases can light up one or both black holes as active galactic nuclei (AGN), making them some of the most energetic objects in the universe. Yet, puzzlingly, not all merging galaxies host two actively feeding black holes; some show only one, while others seem to have no appetite.