JWST Discovers Red Supermassive Black Hole in the Early Universe

JWST spots a 40-million-solar-mass black hole, 12.9 billion light-years away.

Key Takeaways

  1. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) detected an “extremely red” supermassive black hole in the early universe.
  2. The black hole, observed 700 million years after the Big Bang, is shrouded in thick gas and dust.
  3. Its mass—40 million times that of the sun—is unexpectedly large for its host galaxy.
  4. Gravitational lensing amplified and revealed this ancient quasar, originally appearing as “three red dots.”
  5. The discovery raises questions about how massive black holes formed and evolved in the universe’s infancy.

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A Massive Discovery in the Early Universe

Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have discovered an “extremely red” supermassive black hole located approximately 12.9 billion light-years from Earth. This ancient quasar, observed as it existed only 700 million years after the Big Bang, is surrounded by a dense cloak of gas and dust. Its striking red appearance is a result of redshifting caused by the universe’s expansion.

Led by Lukas Furtak and Adi Zitrin from Ben-Gurion University, the team calculated the black hole’s mass at an astonishing 40 million times that of the sun. Despite its enormous size, the black hole resides in a relatively small galaxy, creating a mismatch that challenges existing theories about galactic and black hole evolution. The black hole is rapidly growing, actively feeding on the gas and dust surrounding it.

A diagram shows how light from a background object is curved by a foreground body. (Image credit: NASA, ESA & L. Calçada)

Gravitational Lensing and Quasar Insights

This groundbreaking discovery was made possible by gravitational lensing, a phenomenon predicted by Einstein’s general relativity. A foreground galaxy cluster, Abell 2744, acted as a cosmic magnifying glass, amplifying the light from this distant quasar. The quasar initially appeared as “three red dots” in JWST data, which were determined to be multiple images of the same source caused by lensing.

Further analysis confirmed that the quasar’s brightness originated from its accretion disk—a swirling mass of gas and dust feeding the black hole. This process generates immense energy, causing quasars to often outshine all the stars in their host galaxies combined. The researchers noted that all the light from the galaxy hosting the black hole is confined to a region as small as a modern-day star cluster, highlighting the extreme compactness of the system.

An artist’s impression of a supermassive black hole and its powerful jet. Astronomers want to know how these objects reached tremendous masses in the early universe. (Image credit: S. Dagnello (NRAO/AUI/NSF))

Challenges and Cosmic Questions

This discovery adds to the growing mystery of how supermassive black holes could have reached such enormous sizes so early in the universe’s history. It also raises questions about the relationship between galaxy formation and black hole growth, a conundrum akin to the “chicken and egg” dilemma in astrophysics.

JWST has identified numerous “red dot” candidates, many of which may represent additional early quasars, potentially offering new insights into the rapid growth of supermassive black holes. However, the mechanisms driving this growth remain poorly understood, presenting an exciting avenue for future exploration.

The team’s research was published in the journal Nature.

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