A group of researchers discovered the most distant active black hole we’ve ever observed, at least so far. The discovery was made using the James Webb Space Telescope. Astronomers say they made the discovery in the galaxy CEERS 1019, which is believed to have existed over 570 million years after the big bang, according to a report from NASA.
The black hole found in this galaxy is also intriguing because it is much smaller than astronomers expected it to be, especially for the time that it existed. Evidence of the black hole was uncovered as part of the Webb Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERs) Survey, which is led by Steven Finkelstein of the University of Texas at Austin.
The data used in the survey is derived from images of near- and midinfrared light, known as “spectra”. It’s not just the age of this galaxy that makes it noteworthy. The black hole is located here, as I mentioned before. It’s the farthest active black hole that we have discovered. It is also estimated to be 9 solar masses smaller than any other supermassive or black hole.
While it’s believed that the black hole still exists, the estimated mass puts it on par with Milky Way central supermassive Black Hole , of similar mass. It’s fascinating that scientists aren’t sure exactly how black holes of this size formed at such an early stage in the history of our universe.
But this isn’t the only active black hole that has been discovered in Webb’s data for the CEERS Survey, and this one could only hold that record of the most distant active black hole for a few short weeks. The hope is that discovering more like it will help astronomers figure out exactly how these kinds of black holes come to be.
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