Vampire in space? James Webb Telescope discovers a massive red colour blackhole
Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Muskan Arora
JWST Discovery
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery of an "extremely red" supermassive black hole in the early universe.
Red Hue Revelation
The red hue observed around this supermassive black hole, located approximately 700 million years after the Big Bang, is attributed to the expansion of the universe, causing light to get redshifted due to the presence of thick gas and dust.
Astronomy Team's Findings
Led by Lukas Furtak and Adi Zitrin of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, the astronomy team analysed JWST data and determined the mass of the supermassive black hole, estimated to be around 40 million times the mass of the sun.
Unanticipated Size
Intriguingly, the discovered supermassive black hole surpasses expectations in terms of mass compared to the galaxy it inhabits, signifying an unexpected discrepancy.
Rapid Growth
Despite its immense distance from Earth—around 12.9 billion light-years—the supermassive black hole appears to be rapidly consuming surrounding gas and dust, indicative of its active growth phase.
Quasar-like Features
Initially identified as "red-dot" objects, the intense radiation emitted by the supermassive black hole suggests quasar-like characteristics, indicating copious amounts of matter surrounding it, forming an accretion disk.
Einstein's Lens Effect
Utilizing Einstein's theory of general relativity, the JWST employed gravitational lensing by a foreground galaxy cluster, Abell 2744, to amplify light from distant background galaxies, enabling the detection of the extremely red quasar.
Exquisite Limits Revealed
Further analysis unveiled that the background source emitting light from the quasar must be remarkably compact, indicating a highly concentrated region of activity around the supermassive black hole.
Implications for Black Hole Growth
The discovery raises significant questions regarding the growth mechanisms of supermassive black holes during the early universe, shedding light on the intricate relationship between black holes and their host galaxies. The research, published in the journal Nature, contributes to ongoing efforts to unravel the mysteries of cosmic evolution.