Scientists have observed an unusual black hole using the James Webb Space Telescope. The object violates previously known cosmological models and absorbs matter at a rate 40 times faster than it should.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the most powerful observing device space. Thanks to it, scientists can look into the most distant regions of the Universe. Recent observations have yielded information about an unusual black hole located far away galaxy in the so-called early universe.
What caught the attention of experts was not the mass, but the voracity of the object, called LID-568. The data provided by Webb indicate that it is absorbing matter at a rate 40 times faster than previously known cosmological models. Astronomers believe that further observations of this celestial body may explain the reasons for its unusual behavior.
The research results were published in the journal “Nature Astronomy”.
An artist's vision of the LID-568 black holeNOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva/M. Zamani
The most voracious black hole in the Universe
LID-568 was spotted in the early Universe, about 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang. Its presence was detected thanks to X-rays. The object was classified as a supermassive black hole, which means that its mass is millions or billions of solar masses.
Astronomers' attention was drawn to the unusual properties of LID-568, which consumed matter at a rate exceeding the so-called Eddington limit, also called Eddington luminosity. It determines the brightness that an astronomical object can achieve, as well as how quickly it can absorb matter and remain in equilibrium at the same time.
While observing LID-568 with JWST, scientists discovered outflows of gas surrounding the black hole that have never been seen before. The speed and size of these outflows indicated a gigantic black hole feeding episode.
“This black hole is having a feast,” says study co-author Julia Scharwächter, an astronomer at the International Gemini Observatory and the National Science Foundation's NOILa.
Artistic vision of LID-568NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva/M. Zamani
The secret of the formation of supermassive black holes
Scientists speculate that the episodes of extreme material devouring observed in LID-568 may explain why there are supermassive black holes in the early Universe.
“The discovery of a super-Eddingtonian black hole indicates that much of the increase in mass can occur during a single episode of rapid feeding,” said study lead author Hyewon Suh, an astronomer at the International Gemini Observatory and NOIRLab.
The expert team announced further studies of LID-568.
Livescience, National Geographic
Main photo source: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva/M. Zamani