Artist’s Impression of Early-Universe Dwarf Galaxy

This artist’s illustration shows a red, early-Universe dwarf galaxy that hosts a rapidly feeding black hole at its center. Using data from NASA's JWST and Chandra X-ray Observatory, a team of U.S. National Science Foundation NOIRLab astronomers have discovered this low-mass supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang. It is accreting matter at a phenomenal rate — over 40 times the theoretical limit. While short lived, this black hole’s ‘feast’ could help astronomers explain how supermassive black holes grew so quickly in the early Universe.

Credit:

NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva/M. Zamani

About the Image

Id:noirlab2427e
Type:Artwork
Release date:Nov. 4, 2024, 9 a.m.
Related releases:noirlab2427
Size:5120 x 2880 px

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