Black Holes and galaxies in symbiotic coexistence

In an article entitled Feedback on Galaxy Formation published in the September 6 edition of Science, Prof. Brian McNamara explains how supermassive black holes located in the nuclei of galaxies regulate the growth of their host galaxies and themselves.

Messier 87 is an example of a giant elliptical galaxy experiencing radio mode feedback. Stars are in white, x-ray atmosphere is in blue, and radio synchrotron emission is in red.
^{W. R. Forman et al., Astrophys. J. 665, 1057 (2007).
CREDIT: (X-RAY) NASA/CXC/CFA/W. FORMAN ET AL.; (RADIO) NRAO/AUI/NSF/W. COTTON; (OPTICAL) NASA/ESA/HUBBLE HERITAGE TEAM (STSCI/AURA), AND R. GENDLER}

• read the full article in Science
• learn more about Dr. McNamara's research