The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered the oldest known black hole, and its size has puzzled scientists.

A team of astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope has made a groundbreaking discovery: the most distant and oldest black hole ever observed. This supermassive black hole, located in the ancient galaxy GN-z11, is estimated to be about 1.6 million times the mass of the Sun and located about 13.4 billion light-years away. This means that we see everything as it was. just 400 million years ago after the Big Bang. The problem is that it is much larger than it should be.

The discovery of such a massive black hole in the early Universe challenges current understanding of the formation and growth of this type of singularity, suggesting the need for alternative theories as published. Nature. Observations show that this black hole accumulates matter from its parent galaxy at a rate five times the Eddington limit, the theoretical maximum for the process.

Another birth

This observation calls into question existing models of black hole growth that have traditionally been it will take billions of years constant feeding reach such huge sizes so quickly, according to the history of the Universe as we know it. This discovery raises the possibility that supermassive black holes in the early Universe may have formed in different ways than previously thought. direct collapse of huge clouds From gas.

Has the galaxy been stolen?

The black hole’s intense accretion activity likely has a significant impact on its host galaxy GN-z11. Much smaller than the Milky Way, it experiences a rapid halt in star formation, likely due to the black hole’s powerful gravitational pull and the winds of particles it emits. They are thought to move essential gas and dust away from the galactic core. thereby preventing the formation of new stars. This process could ultimately lead to stagnation of the galaxy’s growth and a change in its evolutionary trajectory.

The results from this space telescope have opened a new window into understanding the early Universe. The discovery of this black hole provides important information about the role of these objects in the formation and evolution of galaxies. This suggests they may have played significant role in the era of reionizationdecisive stage in the history of the Universe, when became transparent and light could travel freely.