This article discusses the discovery of the most distant black hole ever detected in X-rays and its potential significance in understanding the formation of supermassive black holes. The discovery was made using data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and James Webb Space Telescope. The black hole, located in the galaxy UHZ1 in the direction of the galaxy cluster Abell 2744, is approximately 3.5 billion light-years from Earth. However, data from the Webb telescope revealed that UHZ1 is much farther away, at 13.2 billion light-years, when the universe was only 3% of its current age.
A team of researchers combined data from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and James Webb Space Telescope to make the groundbreaking discovery. The black hole is in an early stage of growth where its mass is comparable to that of its host galaxy. This finding may hold the key to understanding the formation of supermassive black holes in the early universe. The researchers used the phenomenon of gravitational lensing to enhance the detection of the black hole.
The discovery of this distant black hole offers valuable insights into the rapid growth of supermassive black holes shortly after the formation of the universe. The researchers believe that these black holes may form directly from the collapse of massive gas clouds, resulting in black holes with masses ranging from 10,000 to 100,000 times that of the Sun. This is in contrast to the formation of black holes from the explosions of the first stars, which would result in black holes weighing only 10 to 100 times that of the Sun. The early formation of massive black holes provides them with a significant advantage in their growth. The researchers estimate that the newly discovered black hole has a mass between 10 and 100 million times that of the Sun, similar to the total mass of the stars in its host galaxy.
The discovery provides strong evidence for the formation of “Outsize Black Holes” from massive gas clouds, as predicted by theoretical models. These black holes go through a brief stage where their mass is similar to that of the stars in their galaxy before significantly surpassing them. The researchers plan to continue studying the early universe using data from the James Webb Space Telescope and other telescopes to gain a better understanding of its evolution.
The findings are published in the journals Nature Astronomy and The Astrophysical Journal Letters and have undergone a rigorous review process to ensure their accuracy and reliability. The researchers involved in the study include experts from institutions such as Harvard & Smithsonian and Princeton University. The data used in the studies are part of the Ultradeep Nirspec and NIRCam Observations before the Epoch of Reionization (UNCOVER) survey.
