Astronomers Spot Reorienting 'Death Star' Black Holes

Astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the NSF's VLBA have discovered that supermassive black holes can change the direction of their powerful particle jets, impacting their surrounding galaxies by preventing star formation. This reorientation, observed in about a third of the studied black holes, occurs over millions of years and can shift nearly 90 degrees. The findings suggest that material falling into the black hole at different angles may cause these directional changes.