Unprecedented Find: James Webb Telescope Discovers Farthest Active Supermassive Black Hole

The CEERS Survey conducted by the James Webb Space Telescope has unearthed the furthest active supermassive black hole ever observed, located approximately 570 million years post the Big Bang. It further discovered two additional minor black holes and nearly a dozen galaxies from extreme distances. These observations contradict prior beliefs about the frequency of less massive black holes and galaxies in the universe’s early stages.

The telescope brought several other remote black holes and early galaxies into view for the first time.

Researchers have long known that the universe is teeming with black holes. However, the less massive black holes that were part of the early universe were too faint to be detected, until the James Webb Space Telescope began its observations. The researchers of the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) Survey are among the first to extract these bright, extremely remote objects from Webb’s intricate images and data.

Among the first findings is the most distant active supermassive black hole ever detected, located a little over 570 million years post the Big Bang. This black hole is relatively smaller, resembling the mass of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way more than the extremely large “monsters” previously spotted with other telescopes. Along with this, the CEERS researchers identified two additional minor black holes in the early universe, along with nearly a dozen extremely remote galaxies. These initial findings indicate that less massive black holes and galaxies might have been more prevalent in the early universe than earlier confirmed.

This diagram illustrates the detections of the furthest active supermassive black holes presently known in the universe. Identified by an array of telescopes, both in space and on the ground, three were recently spotted by the James Webb Space Telescope’s Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) Survey. The furthest black hole is CEERS 1019, which existed just over 570 million years post the Big Bang. CEERS 746 was detected 1 billion years post the Big Bang. The third position currently belongs to CEERS 2782, which existed 1.1 billion years post the Big Bang. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Leah Hustak (STScI), Steve Finkelstein (UT Austin)

James Webb Space Telescope Detects Most Remote Active Supermassive Black Hole Yet

Researchers have discovered the most remote active supermassive black hole yet with the James Webb Space Telescope. The galaxy, CEERS 1019, existed just over 570 million years post the Big Bang, and its black hole is less massive than any other yet discovered in the early universe. Furthermore, they’ve easily identified two more black holes that are also on the smaller side, and existed 1 and 1.1 billion years post the Big Bang. Webb also identified eleven galaxies that existed when the universe was 470 to 675 million years old. The evidence was provided by Webb’s Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) Survey, led by Steven Finkelstein of the University of Texas at Austin. The program combines Webb’s highly detailed near- and mid-infrared images and data known as spectra, all of which were used to make these discoveries.

Eager to explore the data? Find the white peak just past 4.7 microns. It represents hydrogen. Webb’s data are fitted to two models, since more than one source is responsible for the data’s shape. The broad model at the bottom, represented in yellow, fits faster gas swirling in the black hole’s active accretion disk. The purple model with a high peak fits slower gas in the galaxy – this is emission from stars that are actively forming. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Leah Hustak (STScI), Steve Finkelstein (UT Austin), Rebecca Larson (UT Austin), Pablo Arrabal Haro (NSF’s NOIRLab)

CEERS 1019 is not only significant for its age but also its relatively minor black hole weight. This black hole clocks in at about 9 million solar masses, considerably less than other black holes also existing in the early universe and detected by other telescopes. These giants typically contain more than 1 billion times the mass of the Sun – and they are easier to detect because they are much brighter. (They are actively “consuming” matter, which illuminates as it spirals toward the black hole.)

The black hole within CEERS 1019 is more akin to the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, which is 4.6 million times the mass of the Sun. This black hole is also not as bright as the more massive giants previously detected. Though smaller, this black hole existed so much earlier that it’s still difficult to explain how it formed so soon post the inception of the universe. Researchers have long known that smaller black holes must have existed earlier in the universe, but it wasn’t until Webb began observing that they were able to make definitive detections. (CEERS 1019 may only hold this record for a few weeks – claims about other, more remote black holes identified by Webb are currently being carefully reviewed by the astronomical community.)

Ten near-infrared pointings from NIRCam (the Near-Infrared Camera) aboard the James Webb Space Telescope were stitched together to create this mosaic, known as the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) Survey. These observations are within the same region studied by the Hubble Space Telescope, which is known as the Extended Groth Strip. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Steve Finkelstein (UT Austin), Micaela Bagley (UT Austin), Rebecca Larson (UT Austin), Alyssa Pagan (# Webb Telescope Uncovers Earliest Active Supermassive Black Hole Yet

The CEERS Survey, employing the James Webb Space Telescope, has revealed the presence of the most distant active supermassive black hole detected to this point, situated just over 570 million years after the Big Bang. Alongside, two smaller black holes and nearly a dozen galaxies from the early universe were discovered. This new data alters our understanding of the abundance of less massive black holes and early galaxies.

James Webb’s advanced capabilities have brought several other distant black holes and early galaxies into focus for the first time.

An extraordinary cosmic abundance! The universe is densely populated with black holes. Although researchers were aware of this, smaller black holes from the early universe were elusive due to their low brightness, until the James Webb Space Telescope started its observations. The CEERS Survey researchers are pioneering the extraction of these luminous, extremely distant entities from the telescope’s high-resolution images and data.

First in line is the most distant active supermassive black hole yet detected, existing just over 570 million years after the Big Bang. This black hole is relatively smaller, bearing more resemblance to the supermassive black hole at our Milky Way’s core rather than the colossal entities spotted previously by other telescopes. The CEERS researchers also noted two additional smaller black holes from the early universe and nearly a dozen extraordinarily distant galaxies. These preliminary findings imply that smaller black holes and galaxies might have been more commonplace in the early universe than formerly demonstrated.

The graphic displays the current most distant active supermassive black holes recognized in the universe, identified by an array of terrestrial and space telescopes. Three of these were recently disclosed in the James Webb Space Telescope’s CEERS Survey. The farthest black hole is CEERS 1019, situated just over 570 million years after the Big Bang. CEERS 746 was detected 1 billion years after the Big Bang, while CEERS 2782 holds the third place, being present 1.1 billion years after the Big Bang. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Leah Hustak (STScI), Steve Finkelstein (UT Austin)

Astonishingly, CEERS 1019, which boasts of being the most distant active supermassive black hole, also marks itself unique by its relatively lighter mass. This black hole carries about 9 million solar masses, much lighter than the other black holes from the early universe detected by other telescopes. These black holes usually contain over 1 billion solar masses, and their brightness, a result of consuming matter, makes them easier to detect.

CEERS 1019’s black hole is more akin to the black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy, which is 4.6 million times the Sun’s mass. Although smaller, its existence so early in the universe presents a challenge in understanding its formation process. Researchers have been aware of the presence of smaller black holes in the universe’s earlier times, but only with Webb’s observations have they been able to make confirmed detections. (CEERS 1019’s record may be short-lived, as claims about even more distant black holes identified by Webb are currently under thorough review by the astronomical community.)

The treasure trove of precise information Webb’s data holds allows these confirmations to be easily extracted. “Analyzing this distant object with this telescope is akin to studying data from black holes present in galaxies closer to us,” said Rebecca Larson of the University of Texas at Austin, who spearheaded this discovery. She further explained that the team could identify which emissions in the spectrum were from the black hole and which were from its host galaxy, and could also ascertain how much gas the black hole was consuming and determine its galaxy’s star-formation rate.

In this regard, researchers have also discovered more extremely distant black holes and galaxies. For example, CEERS 2782 and CEERS 746, which existed 1.1 and 1 billion years after the Big Bang respectively, were also detected by Webb. These black holes, though smaller when compared to other known supermassive black holes from the same era, have provided researchers with evidence that lower mass black holes might be more prevalent in the early universe than previously thought.

The CEERS team has also identified 11 galaxies that existed 470 to 675 million years after the Big Bang, using Webb’s sensitive spectra. They have noticed that these galaxies are rapidly forming stars, though they are not as chemically enriched as closer galaxies. These findings, along with potential future discoveries, could reshape our understanding of star formation and galaxy evolution throughout cosmic history.

These are only the first remarkable findings from the CEERS survey. As Finkelstein points out, “Webb not only allows us to view black holes and galaxies at extreme distances, but we can now also measure them accurately. This is the tremendous power of this telescope.” The data collected by Webb may also contribute to our understanding of how early black holes formed, thereby revising researchers’ models of black hole growth and evolution in the first several hundred million years of the universe’s history.

A collection of papers regarding CEERS Survey data have been accepted by The Astrophysical Journal Letters, giving more insights into this vast cosmic exploration.

The James Webb Space Telescope, leading the world in space science observations, continues to unravel mysteries of our solar system, distant worlds around other stars, and the enigmatic structures and origins of our universe. Webb is an international program led by NASA in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency.

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More about Supermassive Black Hole

• James Webb Space Telescope (NASA Official)
• CEERS Survey
• The Infrared Universe
• Understanding Cosmic Evolution
• The Importance of Infrared Astronomy