Cosmic Volcano Awakens: Supermassive Black Hole Roars Back to Life After 100 Million Years

Astronomers have captured a rare celestial phenomenon: the re-awakening of a supermassive black hole in the heart of the giant galaxy J1007+3540. After lying dormant for approximately 100 million years, this cosmic beast has resumed ejecting high-energy plasma jets that span nearly a million light-years across space.

Using the LOFAR radio telescope array, researchers discovered that younger, brighter jets are now pushing through the ancient, fading plasma lobes left from an eruption 240 million years ago. Scientist Shobha Kumari described the event as watching a "cosmic volcano" erupt after aeons of silence. This discovery, published in January 2026, provides vital insights into the "intermittent activity" of galactic nuclei and how they interact with the superheated gas in the intergalactic medium.