Title: Astronomers Discover Distant and Feeding Supermassive Black Hole Using James Webb Space Telescope
Subtitle: The black hole poses a challenge due to its relatively low mass in the early universe
Date: [Current Date]
In a groundbreaking discovery, astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have detected the most distant and actively-feeding supermassive black hole ever observed. This finding has also raised questions among researchers due to its remarkably low mass compared to others found in the early universe, measuring the equivalent of about 9 million suns.
The discovery was made during the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) Survey, where researchers observed a galaxy hosting this active supermassive black hole designated as CEERS 1019. The observations provided a glimpse into the universe’s history when it was just around 570 million years old, making it one of the earliest and most ancient objects ever studied.
Led by University of Texas at Austin astronomer Steven Finkelstein, the team also identified two other black holes that existed 1 and 1.1 billion years after the Big Bang, as well as 11 galaxies that thrived between 470 million and 675 million years into cosmic history.
Finkelstein expressed his excitement, stating, “Until now, research about objects in the early universe was largely theoretical. With Webb, not only can we see black holes and galaxies at extreme distances, we can now start to accurately measure them. That’s the tremendous power of this telescope.”
The first findings from CEERS were published in May in a special edition of the Astrophysical Journal Letters, marking a significant milestone in understanding the cosmic evolution and growth of black holes.
The black hole residing within CEERS 1019 boasts a mass of around 9 million solar masses, which may seem large, but many supermassive black holes can ultimately grow to have billions of times the mass of our star. Nevertheless, the existence of black holes with relatively low masses in the early universe has perplexed scientists.
According to current understanding, supermassive black holes grow over time through the merger of successive black holes or by consuming matter in its surroundings. However, the 570 million years available for this black hole to form makes it challenging for such processes to occur. Thus, even black holes comparable in scale to the one at the heart of the Milky Way should only be observable in more recent cosmic epochs.
Study co-author Rebecca Larson, a doctoral student at the University of Texas at Austin, compared the data from this distant object to black holes existing in galaxies near our own, highlighting the significance of this discovery.
While scientists have long speculated the existence of such supermassive black holes in the early universe, it was only with the infrared capabilities of the JWST that concrete evidence has emerged. The observations revealed that CEERS 1019 is actively feeding on the matter around it, surrounded by accretion disks composed of infalling gas and dust. The immense gravitational influence of the black hole heats the disk, causing it to emit a bright glow.
Furthermore, the powerful magnetic fields associated with the black hole channel matter towards its poles, periodically propelling it out in twin jets moving at near-light speed and generating intense light emissions.
Additional observations of this black hole’s radiation may shed light on the growth rate of its host galaxy and offer insights into its mysterious past. Jeyhan Kartaltepe, a CEERS team member and associate professor of astronomy at the Rochester Institute of Technology, explained, “A galaxy merger could be partly responsible for fueling the activity in this galaxy’s black hole, and that could also lead to increased star formation.”
As astronomers continue to explore the universe using the James Webb Space Telescope, they hope to unlock more mysteries surrounding supermassive black holes, their formation, and their role in shaping the development of galaxies throughout cosmic history.