Black hole or galaxy first? Webb telescope offers clue to cosmic puzzle

The age-old question of whether galaxies or black holes came first has a new potential answer. For years, astronomers debated this cosmic "chicken and egg" scenario, with the prevailing theory suggesting galaxies formed first, and supermassive black holes grew at their centers.

However, this model struggled to explain the existence of billion-solar-mass black holes in the early universe. Now, an international research team, led by the University of Cambridge, has presented findings that could resolve this debate. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, they identified a supermassive black hole in the early universe that appears to have formed without a significant host galaxy.

The object, known as QSO1, is located about 13 billion light-years away and is a small, red, primitive galaxy. Crucially, observations revealed that gas within QSO1 orbits a central point in a perfect Keplerian motion, indicating that most of its mass is concentrated in a single location. This central black hole is an astonishing 50 million times the mass of the sun and constitutes at least two-thirds of the galaxy's total mass.

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The discovery that supports the existence of primordial black holes or direct collapse black holes.

This finding is significant because modern supermassive black holes typically account for only about 0.1% of their host galaxy's mass. The extreme ratio observed in QSO1 suggests it did not form through the merging of smaller black holes or by consuming surrounding matter. Instead, the black hole seems to have grown to a colossal size on its own before its host galaxy and stars could fully develop.

Further analysis showed QSO1 contains very few heavy elements, like oxygen, which are byproducts of star formation. It is primarily composed of hydrogen and helium, the primordial gases of the early universe. This composition supports the theory of "direct collapse black holes", hypothetical black holes that could form from the rapid collapse of massive gas clouds in the early universe. The researchers stated this discovery provides evidence for these theorized, but previously unconfirmed, primordial black holes, potentially requiring a complete re-evaluation of how black holes form and grow.

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A discovery that requires a complete re-examination of the classic theories of black hole formation and growth.