AI Insight
Astronomers using JWST and ALMA have discovered a dust-obscured quasar designated J1440+0019 at a redshift of 6.5488, corresponding to when the universe was less than one billion years old. The quasar hosts a supermassive black hole with a mass of approximately 1.1 billion solar masses that is rapidly accreting matter. This discovery provides insight into how supermassive black holes grew to enormous sizes in the early universe.
Why it matters
This finding helps resolve the longstanding puzzle of how supermassive black holes achieved billion-solar-mass scales so early in cosmic history. Understanding rapid black hole growth in the early universe is crucial for refining models of galaxy formation and evolution.
Understand the Science
A new study reveals a dust-reddened quasar from a time when the universe was less than a billion years old. Located at a redshift of 6.5488, the object J1440+0019 contains a rapidly accreting supermassive black hole with a mass of about 1.1 billion suns. The paper was posted to the arXiv preprint server on Oct. 9.
Source: JWST and ALMA reveal a dusty, rapidly growing black hole in the early universe