It turns out black holes may be responsible for ending star formation across the galaxy.

How Black Holes Kill Galaxies PBS Space Time

Premiered June 17, 2019
How Black Holes Kill Galaxies

When we first realized that black holes could have masses of millions or even billions of times that of the sun, it came as a bit of a shock. They were discovered as the driving force behind quasars, where matter is heated to extreme incandescence before its plunge into vast black holes. But if that weren’t enough, we soon realized that every decent-sized galaxy contains a supermassive black hole.

About the Program

PBS Space Time

PBS Space Time explores the outer reaches of space, the craziness of astrophysics, the possibilities of sci-fi, and anything else you can think of beyond Planet Earth. Host Matt O'Dowd breaks down both the basic and incredibly complex sides of space and time.

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