An international team of researchers, led by scientists from Stockholm University’s Department of Astronomy, has uncovered a higher number of black holes in the early universe than previously known. Using data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, they identified black holes among faint galaxies that formed shortly after the Big Bang. These findings could help explain the formation of supermassive black holes and their role in galaxy evolution. Hubble’s data came from years of observations of the Ultra Deep Field region.
Supermassive Black Holes Found in Distant Galaxies
One key discovery was the detection of supermassive black holes in the centers of galaxies formed less than a billion years after the Big Bang. These black holes are as massive as billions of suns, exceeding scientists’ earlier predictions. According to Alice Young, a PhD student at Stockholm University and co-author of the study published in The Astrophysical Journal Lettersthese black holes either started off extremely massive or experienced rapid growth in the early universe.
Observing Black Holes through Variations in Brightness
The research team re-photographed the same region over several years using Hubble, tracking changes in galaxy brightness caused by black holes flickering as they consumed material. Matthew Hayes, lead author and professor at Stockholm University, explained that these observations enhance models of how black holes and galaxies grow and interact over time.
Implications for Understanding Galaxy Formation
The study suggests black holes likely originated from the collapse of massive stars within the universe’s first billion years. These findings offer a more detailed understanding of black hole and galaxy evolution, improving the accuracy of scientific models.
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