--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Data suggest that central black holes…" description: "\"Data suggest that central black holes might play an important role in adjusting how many stars form in the galaxies they inhabit. For one thing, the en..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/priyamvada-natarajan-13848_astronomy_data-suggest-that-central-black-holes-mi_2889161.jpg" --- # Data suggest that central black holes might play an… ![“Data suggest that central black holes might play an important role in adjusting how many stars form in the galaxies they inhabit. For one thing, the energy produced when matter falls into the black hole may heat up the surrounding gas at the center of the galaxy, thus preventing cooling and…” quote by Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/priyamvada-natarajan-13848_astronomy_data-suggest-that-central-black-holes-mi_2889161.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/priyamvada-natarajan-13848_astronomy_data-suggest-that-central-black-holes-mi_2889161.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/priyamvada-natarajan-13848_astronomy_data-suggest-that-central-black-holes-mi_2889161.jpg) > “Data suggest that central black holes might play an important role in adjusting how many stars form in the galaxies they inhabit. For one thing, the energy produced when matter falls into the black hole may heat up the surrounding gas at the center of the galaxy, thus preventing cooling and halting star formation.” [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Supermassive black holes regulate star formation by heating surrounding gas, preventing cooling and halting new stars. **In simple terms:** Black holes control galaxy growth via energy output. Key Takeaway Study black hole influence on galaxies. Themes astrophysics galaxy evolution feedback loops Mood analytical curious Type scientific informative When to use this quote - observational astronomy - simulation - education - policy Key Concepts cosmology energy dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How does black hole feedback vary across galaxies? - What evidence supports this regulation? A Different Perspective Complex mechanisms are still debated. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Astronomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) [Black hole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-hole/) [Black holes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-holes/) [Center Galaxy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/center-galaxy-1016955/) [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Form Galaxies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form-galaxies-3357144/) [Galaxies Inhabit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/galaxies-inhabit-4047238/) [Gas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gas/) [Heat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heat/) [Star Formation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/star-formation-4047237/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Stars Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars-form-683614/) ## Related quotes > [“Only three constants are significant for star formation: the gravitational constant, the fine structure constant, and a constant that governs nuclear reaction rates.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-stewart/only-three-constants-are-significant-for-star-formation-the/) [Ian Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-stewart/) > [“We are born, we live, and we perish, perhaps to be born again in some other form...Galaxies are but one living entity burning with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-diterlizzi/we-are-born-we-live-and-we-perish-perhaps-to-be-born-again-in-some/) [Tony DiTerlizzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-diterlizzi/) > [A snowflake is another beautifully ordered example of what simple, natural meteorological processes can produce. Stars form by gravity, collapsing into spherically ordered structures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/a-snowflake-is-another-beautifully-ordered-example-of-what-simple/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [When stars form a planet, they come in a bunch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-fischer/when-stars-form-a-planet-they-come-in-a-bunch/) [Debra Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-fischer/) > [What I am really saying is that you don’t need to do anything, because if you see yourself in the correct way, you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/what-i-am-really-saying-is-that-you-don-t-need-to-do-anything-because/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [“turn him into stars and form a constellation in his image. His face will make the heavens so beautiful that the world will fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/turn-him-into-stars-and-form-a-constellation-in-his-image-his-face/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Stars form durable structures because they are the result of a negotiated compromise between gravity, which crushes matter together, and the explosive force of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-christian/stars-form-durable-structures-because-they-are-the-result-of-a/) [David Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-christian/) > [“The black land slid by and he was going into the country among the hills. For the first time in a dozen years the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-black-land-slid-by-and-he-was-going-into-the-country-among-the/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [As the planet wobbles, once every 26,000 years we visually align with the center of the galaxy. But it's such a slow movement that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-carroll/as-the-planet-wobbles-once-every-26-000-years-we-visually-align-with/) [Lee Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-carroll/) > [One of the big mysteries about the black hole at the center of the galaxy is, 'Why don't we see emission from matter falling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-m-ghez/one-of-the-big-mysteries-about-the-black-hole-at-the-center-of-the/) [Andrea M. Ghez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-m-ghez/) > [“The Federal District, known informally as the Core of Coruscant—or, even more informally, Core Square—was the undisputed center of the galaxy, both politically and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-zahn/the-federal-district-known-informally-as-the-core-of-coruscant-or/) [Timothy Zahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-zahn/) > [If we're thinking about old civilizations, those that formed a long time ago and there were stars and planets around long before Earth even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/if-we-re-thinking-about-old-civilizations-those-that-formed-a-long/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [All of the stars rotate, have orbits around the center of the galaxy, and most of them go around the center of the galaxy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-roman/all-of-the-stars-rotate-have-orbits-around-the-center-of-the-galaxy/) [Nancy Roman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-roman/) > [The key to proving that there's a black hole is showing that there's a tremendous amount of mass in a very small volume. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-m-ghez/the-key-to-proving-that-there-s-a-black-hole-is-showing-that-there-s-2/) [Andrea M. Ghez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-m-ghez/) > [I'm interested in finding whether or not there is a really massive, what we like to call 'super massive' black hole at the center…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-m-ghez/i-m-interested-in-finding-whether-or-not-there-is-a-really-massive/) [Andrea M. Ghez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-m-ghez/) ## More by Priyamvada Natarajan > [We cannot explain the phenomenon of gravitational lensing without general relativity, and this is where MOND spectacularly fails.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/we-cannot-explain-the-phenomenon-of-gravitational-lensing-without/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [We cannot decide on the efficacy of a medical treatment by counting the number of 'Likes' an intervention receives on Facebook; no matter what,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/we-cannot-decide-on-the-efficacy-of-a-medical-treatment-by-counting/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [Evidence has been mounting for the key role that black holes play in the process of galaxy formation. But it now appears that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/evidence-has-been-mounting-for-the-key-role-that-black-holes-play-in/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [The deep fascination with the mysterious, and the impulse to seek and locate ourselves in the cosmic context, seems to be imprinted in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/the-deep-fascination-with-the-mysterious-and-the-impulse-to-seek-and/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [I am a professor of astronomy and physics at Yale University, where I teach an introductory class in cosmology. I see the deficiencies that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/i-am-a-professor-of-astronomy-and-physics-at-yale-university-where-i/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [Mapping, both literal and metaphorical, has always been about our quest for knowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/mapping-both-literal-and-metaphorical-has-always-been-about-our-quest/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [Scientific knowledge is, by its nature, provisional. This is due to the fact that as time goes on, with the invention of better instruments,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/scientific-knowledge-is-by-its-nature-provisional-this-is-due-to-the/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [Black holes are enigmatic astronomical objects, areas where the gravity is so immense that it has warped spacetime so that not even light can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/black-holes-are-enigmatic-astronomical-objects-areas-where-the/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [Being nimble and ready to change our minds if need be is an attribute that is crucial to live and thrive in a society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/being-nimble-and-ready-to-change-our-minds-if-need-be-is-an-attribute/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [Research in basic sciences now requires resources that no one country can provide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/research-in-basic-sciences-now-requires-resources-that-no-one-country/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [It is my idea that the public needs to be better educated about the nature of scientific inquiry and how the scientific process works.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/it-is-my-idea-that-the-public-needs-to-be-better-educated-about-the/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [The precise effects of lensing depend on the mass of the lens, the structure of space-time, and the relative distance between us, the lens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/the-precise-effects-of-lensing-depend-on-the-mass-of-the-lens-the/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [If you know the shape of the lens and the image you get, you can work out the path that light followed between the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/if-you-know-the-shape-of-the-lens-and-the-image-you-get-you-can-work/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [The early universe was a dusty place, and the UV radiation from the hot, young black holes and stars would get enshrouded by dust,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/the-early-universe-was-a-dusty-place-and-the-uv-radiation-from-the/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [We need to make sure that the Voyager probes carrying a record of human civilization speeding beyond our solar system remain an introduction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/we-need-to-make-sure-that-the-voyager-probes-carrying-a-record-of/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) [Explore all 49 Priyamvada Natarajan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) ## More Astronomy quotes > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [Wen daylight turns to a darkened hue, D lovely stars hinting at u, ur heart beat tells u something true, That some 1 badly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butterfly-kisses/wen-daylight-turns-to-a-darkened-hue-d-lovely-stars-hinting-at-u-ur/) [Butterfly\_Kisses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butterfly-kisses/) > [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Astronomers have built telescopes which can show myriads of stars unseen before; but when a man looks through a tear in his own eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/astronomers-have-built-telescopes-which-can-show-myriads-of-stars/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [From the grasses in the field to the stars in the sky, each one is doing just that; and there is such profound peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/from-the-grasses-in-the-field-to-the-stars-in-the-sky-each-one-is/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [“Sentinels of trees breathe life into bodies of earthly flesh As their mighty arms reach to the stars we join in their quest for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-ravenswood/sentinels-of-trees-breathe-life-into-bodies-of-earthly-flesh-as-their/) [Ramon Ravenswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-ravenswood/) > [“If there are no stars on the sky, you must try to be happy with the shining streetlights!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-there-are-no-stars-on-the-sky-you-must-try-to-be-happy-with-the/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Twinking tears in a sea of black. Soft light in a world of darkness. Tiny wishes in a place of dreams. Do you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gentile/twinking-tears-in-a-sea-of-black-soft-light-in-a-world-of-darkness/) [Nicole Gentile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-gentile/) > [Your head's like mine, like all our heads; big enough to contain every god and devil there ever was. Big enough to hold the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/your-head-s-like-mine-like-all-our-heads-big-enough-to-contain-every/) [Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/) > [“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars." ... quote has been credited to Les Brown.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylviek/shoot-for-the-moon-even-if-you-miss-it-you-will-land-among-the-stars/) [Sylviek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylviek/) > [When certain stars take you under their wing, it does help as they gauge your potential and are willing to work with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-bhatt/when-certain-stars-take-you-under-their-wing-it-does-help-as-they/) [Vikram Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-bhatt/) > [We were put here as witnesses to the miracle of life. We see the stars, and we want them. We are beholden to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-were-put-here-as-witnesses-to-the-miracle-of-life-we-see-the-stars/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) [Browse all 6,190 Astronomy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Data suggest that central black holes might play an important role in adjusting how many stars form in the galaxies they inhabit. For one thing, the energy produced when matter falls into the black hole may heat up the surrounding gas at the center of the galaxy, thus preventing cooling and halting star formation.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Priyamvada Natarajan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/data-suggest-that-central-black-holes-might-play-an-important-role-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Astronomy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/data-suggest-that-central-black-holes-might-play-an-important-role-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/priyamvada-natarajan-13848_astronomy_data-suggest-that-central-black-holes-mi_2889161.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/priyamvada-natarajan-13848_astronomy_data-suggest-that-central-black-holes-mi_2889161.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/priyamvada-natarajan-13848_astronomy_data-suggest-that-central-black-holes-mi_2889161.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Data suggest that central black holes might play an important role in adjusting how many stars form in the…” — Priyamvada Natarajan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Priyamvada Natarajan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Data suggest that central black holes...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/data-suggest-that-central-black-holes-might-play-an-important-role-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/data-suggest-that-central-black-holes-might-play-an-important-role-in/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```