All images: JWST/NASA, Representative images.
An international group of researchers has discovered the oldest black hole ever observed, dating from the dawn of the Universe. The group, led by the University of Cambridge, used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to detect the black hole.
The black hole, which dates from 400 million years after the Big Bang, is eating its host galaxy GN-z11. The researchers said that GN-z11 is about 100 times smaller than the Milky Way, and the black hole is likely harming its development.
The black hole is massive - a few million times the mass of the Sun. According to astronomers, supermassive black holes found at the centre of galaxies grew to their current size over billions of years. However, the size of this black hole suggested that a black hole can be born big or can eat matter at a higher rate.
Professor Roberto Maiolino from Cambridge said that the sensitivity of JWST meant that even older black holes might be found in the coming months and years.