Current:Home > StocksOldest black hole discovered dating back to 470 million years after the Big Bang -MacroWatch
Oldest black hole discovered dating back to 470 million years after the Big Bang
View
Date:2025-04-24 14:01:05
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Scientists have discovered the oldest black hole yet, a cosmic beast formed a mere 470 million years after the Big Bang.
The findings, published Monday, confirm what until now were theories that supermassive black holes existed at the dawn of the universe. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and Chandra X-Ray Observatory teamed up over the past year to make the observations.
Given the universe is 13.7 billion years old, that puts the age of this black hole at 13.2 billion years.
Even more astounding to scientists, this black hole is a whopper — 10 times bigger than the black hole in our own Milky Way.
It’s believed to weigh anywhere from 10% to 100% the mass of all the stars in its galaxy, said lead author Akos Bogdan of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. That is nowhere near the miniscule ratio of the black holes in our Milky Way and other nearby galaxies — an estimated 0.1%, he noted.
“It’s just really early on in the universe to be such a behemoth,” said Yale University’s Priyamvada Natarajan, who took part in the study published in the journal Nature Astronomy. A companion article appeared in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. “It’s astounding how this thing actually is sitting in place already with its galaxy so early on in the universe.”
The researchers believe the black hole formed from colossal clouds of gas that collapsed in a galaxy next door to one with stars. The two galaxies merged, and the black hole took over.
The fact that Chandra detected it via X-ray confirms “without a doubt that it is a black hole,” according to Natarajan. With X-rays “you’re actually capturing the gas that is being gravitationally pulled into the black hole, sped up and it starts glowing in the X-rays,” she said.
This one is considered a quasar since it’s actively growing and the gas is blindingly bright, she added.
The Webb telescope alone may have spotted a black hole that is 29 million years older, according to scientists, but it’s yet to be observed in X-rays and verified. Natarajan expects more early black holes will be found — perhaps not as far out, but still quite distant.
“We are expecting a new window to open in the universe, and I think this is the first crack,” she said.
The two space telescopes — Webb and Chandra — used a technique called gravitational lensing to magnify the region of space where this galaxy, UHZ1, and its black hole are located. The telescopes used the light from a much closer cluster of galaxies, a mere 3.2 billion light-years from Earth, to magnify UHZ1 and its black hole much farther in the background.
“It’s a pretty faint object, and thanks to like luck, nature has magnified it for us,” Natarajan said
Launched in 2021 to a point 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) away, Webb is the biggest and most powerful astronomical observatory ever sent into space; it sees the universe in the infrared. The much older Chandra has X-ray vision; it rocketed into orbit in 1999.
“I absolutely find it amazing that Chandra can do such amazing discoveries 24 years after its launch,” Bogdan said.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
veryGood! (92)
Related
- Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
- Yellen says China’s rapid buildout of its green energy industry ‘distorts global prices’
- 'The Bachelor's' surprising revelation about the science of finding a soulmate
- Ruby Franke's Daughter Petrified to Leave Closet for Hours After Being Found, Police Say
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Diddy investigated for sex trafficking: A timeline of allegations and the rapper's life, career
- Here's how to turn off your ad blocker if you're having trouble streaming March Madness
- Case against woman accused in death of adopted young son in Arizona dismissed, but could be refiled
- House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
- Kentucky House passes bill to have more teens tried in adult courts for gun offenses
Ranking
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- Bird flu is spreading in a few states. Keeping your bird feeders clean can help
- Missouri attorney general is accused of racial bias for pinning a student fight on diversity program
- Judge tosses out X lawsuit against hate-speech researchers, saying Elon Musk tried to punish critics
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- Nevada Supreme Court will take another look at Chasing Horse’s request to dismiss sex abuse charges
- Who should be the NBA MVP? Making the case for the top 6 candidates
- Zendaya's Hairstylist Ursula Stephen Reveals the All-Star Details Behind Her Blonde Transformation
Recommendation
'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
Bird flu is spreading in a few states. Keeping your bird feeders clean can help
Christina Applegate Battling 30 Lesions on Her Brain Amid Painful MS Journey
Are you eligible to claim the Saver's Credit on your 2023 tax return?
A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
Zendaya's Hairstylist Ursula Stephen Reveals the All-Star Details Behind Her Blonde Transformation
Who are Sean 'Diddy' Combs' children? Family tree as mogul faces assault claims, raids
NBC has cut ties with former RNC head Ronna McDaniel after employee objections, some on the air