Astronomers have found a supermassive black hole located at the heart of a galaxy that emerged just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang. This black hole is consuming matter at a staggering pace—more than 40 times what was thought to be possible. Although this phenomenon may not last long, it could help explain how supermassive black holes grew rapidly in the early stages of the Universe.
Using observations from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Chandra X-ray Observatory, a group of astronomers from the U.S. National Science Foundation NOIRLab has identified a supermassive black hole in a galaxy that formed only 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang. This black hole is devouring matter at an astonishing rate—over 40 times the theoretical limit. Although its lifespan may be short, this black hole’s ‘feast’ might provide crucial insights into how supermassive black holes developed so quickly in the early Universe.
Most galaxies contain supermassive black holes at their centers, and astronomers using modern telescopes have been able to observe them during remarkably early periods in the Universe’s history. Understanding how these black holes achieved such massive sizes in a short time is challenging. However, the recent finding of a low-mass supermassive black hole voraciously consuming material just 1.5 billion years post-Big Bang offers new clues about how quickly black holes grew during the Universe’s infancy.
LID-568, as this black hole is designated, was identified by a collaborative team of astronomers led by Hyewon Suh from the International Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab. They employed the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to analyze a group of galaxies from the COSMOS legacy survey conducted by Chandra X-ray Observatory. These galaxies emit intense X-ray radiation but are hidden from optical and near-infrared observation. JWST’s advanced infrared sensitivity makes it capable of detecting these subtle emissions.
LID-568 was particularly noticeable due to its strong X-ray output, but pinpointing its exact location was challenging based solely on X-ray data, leading to difficulties in targeting it with JWST. To overcome this, rather than using traditional slit spectroscopy, scientists suggested using JWST’s integral field spectrograph (NIRSpec), which can collect a spectrum for every pixel in its field of view instead of just a narrow strip.
“Without JWST, detecting LID-568 would have been impossible due to its faintness. The use of the integral field spectrograph was both innovative and necessary for our observations,” explains Emanuele Farina, an astronomer at International Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab and co-author of the research published in Nature Astronomy.
The NIRSpec instrument enabled the team to obtain comprehensive data about their target and its nearby surroundings, leading to the surprising discovery of powerful gas outflows around the central black hole. The significant speed and scale of these outflows suggested that most of LID-568’s mass gain might have occurred in one rapid feeding episode. “This unexpected finding adds a new dimension to our understanding of the system and opens exciting new research opportunities,” notes Suh.
In a remarkable turn of events, Suh and her team found that LID-568 is ingesting matter at a staggering rate—40 times more than its Eddington limit. This Eddington limit represents the maximum brightness a black hole can achieve while balancing its inward gravitational pull and the outward pressure from the heat of the incoming matter. When the calculations indicated that LID-568’s brightness was significantly beyond what is theoretically feasible, the team recognized they had uncovered something extraordinary.
“This black hole is enjoying a feast,” comments Julia Scharwächter, an astronomer at International Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab and co-author. “This extreme scenario illustrates that fast-feeding mechanisms exceeding the Eddington limit may help explain the existence of such massive black holes very early in the Universe’s history.”
These findings shed light on how supermassive black holes might form from smaller ‘seed’ black holes. Current theories propose that these seeds arise from either the remnants of the Universe’s first stars (light seeds) or the direct collapse of gas clouds (heavy seeds). Until now, observational backing for these theories has been scarce. “The discovery of a super-Eddington black hole suggests that a considerable portion of mass growth could take place in a single rapid feeding phase, regardless of the seed’s origin,” Suh states.
The discovery of LID-568 demonstrates that a black hole can surpass its Eddington limit, providing an initial opportunity for astronomers to study how this occurs. The powerful outflows detected around LID-568 may be serving as a release mechanism for the excess energy generated from such extreme accretion, helping to stabilize the system. To explore the mechanisms involved further, the team plans to conduct follow-up observations using JWST.
