Oldest known black hole in the universe discovered by scientists: Reaches the furthest point in space-time exploration
Astounding Discovery of a Massive Black Hole in the Early Universe
A team of astronomers, led by Douglas Taylor from the University of California, Santa Cruz, has made a groundbreaking discovery using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). They have confirmed the existence of a supermassive black hole (SMBH) located at the center of a galaxy named CAPERS-LRD-z9, which is one of the earliest galaxies ever observed.
CAPERS-LRD-z9 belongs to a class of compact, early galaxies known as "Little Red Dots." This discovery was a major surprise from early JWST data, as the brightness of Little Red Dots has puzzled astronomers due to contradictions with galaxy evolution models.
The black hole, estimated to weigh up to 300 million times the mass of our sun, is the most distant one ever confirmed. By the standards of supermassive black holes, its mass is colossal. At the time of formation, the universe was about 3% of its current age, approximately 13.4 billion years ago.
To confirm the presence of a black hole in CAPERS-LRD-z9, astronomers used a technique called spectroscopy. They detected the telltale sign of matter orbiting a black hole, which is extreme speed-induced wavelength shifts in light.
This discovery adds to growing evidence that early black holes grew much faster than previously thought possible. Current leading theories, including a recent breakthrough known as the "Pop III.1" model, propose that these SMBHs originate as remnants of the universe’s very first stars — called Population III.1 stars. These primordial stars grew to enormous sizes influenced by dark matter annihilation, and upon their death, left behind large black hole seeds that rapidly grew into supermassive black holes.
Steven Finkelstein of the University of Texas is also a co-author of the study, which was published on Wednesday (Aug. 6) in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. The research describes how the "Pop III.1" theory helps explain how SMBHs could form so early and grow so massive when earlier explanations, such as the “light seeds” theory, struggle with the short timescales observed.
The JWST survey aimed to confirm or refute more than 100 candidate galaxies, with CAPERS-LRD-z9 being one of them. As JWST observations continue, they are pushing the earliest detection limits and providing data to test and refine these models. The current understanding favors rapid formation of SMBH seeds from the very first stars, followed by accelerated growth in the early universe.
This discovery marks a significant milestone in our understanding of the early universe and the formation of supermassive black holes. It opens up new avenues for research and could potentially reshape our understanding of galaxy evolution and the early universe.
- The astounding discovery of a massive black hole, weighing up to 300 million times the mass of our sun, has been confirmed using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
- The black hole is located at the center of a galaxy named CAPERS-LRD-z9, one of the earliest galaxies ever observed, which belongs to a class of compact galaxies known as "Little Red Dots."
- This discovery adds to growing evidence that early black holes grew much faster than previously thought, with current theories suggesting they originated as remnants of the universe’s very first stars.
- The study, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, proposes that these supermassive black holes (SMBHs) formed rapidly from the very first stars, a finding that could reshape our understanding of galaxy evolution and the early universe.
