Ancient Black Hole Awakens, Sending Plasma Jets Across Space

WHO:

Space Daily - The research team was led by Shobha Kumari at Midnapore City College in India, with collaborators Sabyasachi Pal, Surajit Paul, and Marek Jamrozy.

Space Daily - Dr. Sabyasachi Pal described the galaxy J1007+3540 as one of the clearest examples of episodic active galactic nuclei with jet-cluster interaction.

WHAT:

Space Daily - A supermassive black hole in the galaxy J1007+3540 erupted after approximately 100 million years of dormancy, unleashing a jet of magnetized plasma across nearly a million light-years of space.

Phys.org - The galaxy SDSS J110546.07+145202.4 has been shining brightly in radio light for several years, marking it as the first source of its kind.

Space Daily - The outer plasma lobes extend for approximately 1.45 megaparsecs, or roughly 4.7 million light-years, and have a radiative age of approximately 240 million years.

Space Daily - The inner plasma structure has a radiative age of approximately 140 million years and is consistent with a fresh, active jet still being produced by the black hole.

WHERE:

Space Daily - The galaxy J1007+3540 is located at the center of a galaxy cluster called WHL 100706.4+354041, several hundred million light-years from Earth.

Space Daily - The observations were made using the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) in the Netherlands and the upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) in Maharashtra, India.

WHEN:

Space Daily - The research team published a paper in January 2026 in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

WHY:

Space Daily - The black hole at the center of J1007+3540 had been dormant for approximately 100 million years before restarting its activity.

HOW:

Space Daily - The observations combined data from LOFAR at 144 megahertz and uGMRT at 400 megahertz to distinguish between older and newer plasma populations in the galaxy.

Space Daily - The jets emerging from J1007+3540 are being bent and compressed by the hot gas in the surrounding galaxy cluster, affecting their propagation.

(UPDATED July 3, 2026 15:42 UTC)

A research team led by Shobha Kumari at Midnapore City College in India has revealed that the supermassive black hole in the galaxy J1007+3540 erupted after about 100 million years of dormancy, sending a jet of magnetized plasma across nearly a million light-years. This galaxy, located at the center of the WHL 100706.4+354041 cluster, showcases one of the clearest examples of episodic active galactic nuclei with jet-cluster interaction, as described by Dr. Sabyasachi Pal. The findings, published in January 2026 in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, highlight the complex dynamics of the jets being influenced by the hot gas in the surrounding galaxy cluster.