A distant galaxy has been undergoing a massive radio-wave outburst for over eight years, refusing to settle back into its normal state.
April 24, 2026
Original Paper
SDSSJ110546.07+145202.4: The first long-duration radio changing-look NLS1 galaxy
arXiv · 2604.19435
The Takeaway
Most galaxies that change their appearance do so in quick, flickering bursts. This specific galaxy is the first of its kind to show a stable, long-term shift in its radio signature. The black hole at its center is consuming matter at a rate that stayed elevated for nearly a decade. This event provides a rare look at how a galaxy can fundamentally rewrite its energy output over a human lifespan. Understanding these long transitions helps us map the life cycles of the most active objects in the deep universe.
From the abstract
SDSSJ110546.07+145202.4 stands out as a unique radio changing-look Narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxy that has brightened dramatically and shows an exceptionally long duration of its "on" phase. We present the first high-frequency radio observations, the first simultaneous radio spectral energy distributions (SEDs), the first optical--UV--X-ray SEDs, and the first X-ray monitoring and spectroscopy of this recently discovered event. Importantly for understanding the nature of the outburst, we sh