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PIA08696: An Unwelcome Place for New Stars (artist concept)
This artist's concept depicts a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy. NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer found evidence that black holes (once they grow to a critical size) stifle the formation of new stars in elliptical galaxies.
 Mission:  Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) 
 Spacecraft:  GALEX Orbiter
 Product Size:  3000 x 2400 pixels (w x h) 
 Produced By:  California Institute of Technology 
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA08696.tif (21.6 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA08696.jpg (1.465 MB)  

Click on the image above to download a moderately sized image in JPEG format (possibly reduced in size from original)

Original Caption Released with Image:

Click here for PIA08696 Poster version Suppression of Star Formation from Supermassive Black Holes
Poster Version
Suppression of Star Formation from Supermassive Black Holes

This artist's concept depicts a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy. NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer found evidence that black holes -- once they grow to a critical size -- stifle the formation of new stars in elliptical galaxies. Black holes are thought to do this by heating up and blasting away the gas that fuels star formation.

The blue color here represents radiation pouring out from material very close to the black hole. The grayish structure surrounding the black hole, called a torus, is made up of gas and dust. Beyond the torus, only the old red-colored stars that make up the galaxy can be seen. There are no new stars in the galaxy.

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL-Caltech

Image Addition Date:
2006-08-23