Source:ESA/Hubble
Image credits: NASA, ESA, M. Cisternas (Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy)
What happens when galaxies crash together? For years, these cosmic collisions have been blamed for triggering violent outbursts at the hearts of galaxies. Now, a remarkable piece of detective work has given a verdict: galactic mergers do not usually whet the appetite of the black holes that power these active galactic nuclei, meaning other, less dramatic phenomena are responsible.(read more)
