by BeAChooser » Thu Jan 18, 2024 11:36 pm
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecarte ... f0d3b4749b
Researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope have uncovered the oldest black hole ever detected—and declared a new era in astronomy.
It was found at the center of GN-z11, a galaxy first discovered in 2017, about 13.4 billion light-years away from our Milky Way galaxy—but about 100 times smaller. That means it exists just 400 million years after the Big Bang, which is thought to have created the universe. However, the black hole looks to be about a billion years old, suggesting problems with theories about how quickly black holes form.
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The discovery of such a relatively large black hole close to the beginning of time challenges assumptions about how black holes grow. Astronomers believe that the supermassive black holes found at the center of galaxies like the Milky Way rose to their current size over billions of years. “It’s very early in the universe to see a black hole this massive, so we’ve got to consider other ways they might form,” said Maiolino. The researchers suggest that black holes may be born bigger than previously thought or consume matter at a rate five times faster than had been thought possible.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2024/01/17/oldest-black-hole-ever-observed-found-close-to-the-beginning-of-time/?sh=3ff0d3b4749b
[quote]Researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope have uncovered the oldest black hole ever detected—and declared a new era in astronomy.
It was found at the center of GN-z11, a galaxy first discovered in 2017, about 13.4 billion light-years away from our Milky Way galaxy—but about 100 times smaller. [b]That means it exists just 400 million years after the Big Bang, which is thought to have created the universe. However, the black hole looks to be about a billion years old, suggesting problems with theories about how quickly black holes form.[/b]
… snip …
The discovery of such a relatively large black hole close to the beginning of time challenges assumptions about how black holes grow. Astronomers believe that the supermassive black holes found at the center of galaxies like the Milky Way rose to their current size over billions of years. “It’s very early in the universe to see a black hole this massive, so we’ve got to consider other ways they might form,” said Maiolino. The researchers suggest that black holes may be born bigger than previously thought or consume matter at a rate five times faster than had been thought possible.[/quote]