Black holes from the dawn of the universe

Black holes cannot be observed directly, but only through other intermediate means.

Astronomers have discovered the oldest black hole ever found, dating back more than 13 billion years, meaning it dates back to the dawn of the universe.

Observations made by the James Webb telescope reveal that the black hole is located at the center of a galaxy called GN-z11, approximately 440 million years after the Big Bang that gave birth to the universe.

With a mass roughly equal to that of the sun, the black hole is surprising because its weight is so enormous compared to a young black hole. Astronomers are questioning why this black hole could grow so rapidly in such a short time.

Professor Roberto Maiolino, an astrophysicist at the University of Cambridge (UK), said, "What is surprising is its enormous size. It was an unexpected discovery."

Published on the Arxiv website, the James Webb telescope's observations did not yield a direct image. The reason is that black holes are invisible objects and no light can escape from them.

Location of the galaxy GN-z11

However, astronomers have recognized signs indicating the presence of black holes, such as accretion disks, swirling halos of gas and dust surrounding these giant cosmic "sinkholes."

Experts believe that the universe's first black holes could help answer long-standing questions about the "giants" at the center of galaxies, such as the Milky Way, which have masses billions of times greater than the sun.

Until recently, scientists believed that black holes grew at a steady rate, by devouring stars and other objects. They estimated that it takes black holes about 14 billion years to grow into supermassive black holes.

However, the latest observations of the galaxy GN-z11 suggest that supermassive black holes were likely already enormous at the time of their formation, or must have grown exceptionally rapidly shortly after their formation.

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