Scientists announced Wednesday the discovery of the oldest black hole ever observed. This black hole is a 13 billion year old object that actually “ate” its parent galaxy to death.
Astronomers made this discovery using the James Webb Space Telescope.
The oldest black holes are surprisingly large, with masses millions of times that of the Sun. The fact that black holes existed so early in the universe “challenges our assumptions about how black holes form and grow,” the magazine said in a statement. cambridge university in uk
News of the discovery was announced in a study on Wednesday “A small and active black hole in the early universe” Published in a peer-reviewed journal Nature.
“Black Hole Buffet”
“Since it was so early in the universe that such massive black holes were observed, we need to consider other ways in which black holes could form,” said the first author. Roberto Maiorino, from the Cavendish Laboratory and the Kavli Institute for Cosmology, Cambridge. “Very early galaxies were so rich in gas that they would have been a buffet for black holes.”
According to the University of Cambridge, astronomers believe that supermassive black holes found at the centers of galaxies like the Milky Way have grown to their current size over billions of years. However, the size of this newly discovered black hole suggests that black holes can form in different ways. Black holes may be “born big” and may be able to eat matter five times faster than thought.
“This black hole is essentially [equivalent of] “Every five years, the sun makes a complete revolution,” Maiorino said. NPR. “In reality, these black holes are much higher than we thought possible.”
James Webb telescope represents a ‘new era’ in astronomy
Launched in 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope is the largest and most powerful observatory ever sent into space.
In Webb’s two years, the telescope has provided astonishing views of the solar system’s planets, galaxies, stars, and other parts of the universe never before seen.
“This is a new era. The huge leap in sensitivity, especially in the infrared, is like upgrading from Galileo’s telescope to a modern telescope overnight,” Maiorino said. “Before Mr. Webb came online, I thought that maybe the universe beyond what the Hubble Space Telescope could see wasn’t all that interesting. But that wasn’t the case at all. They are very generous with what they give, and this is just the beginning.”
Contributor: Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY. Associated Press