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James Webb Uncovers Ancient Black Hole, Shakes Cosmic Theories

9/3/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope discovered a primordial black hole, QSO1, potentially formed shortly after the Big Bang.
QSO1 has 50 million solar masses and lacks a significant surrounding galaxy, indicating independent formation.
The oldest confirmed black hole, 300 million solar masses, was found in galaxy CAPERS-LRD-z9, dating back 500 million years post-Big Bang.
These discoveries suggest early black holes may have grown faster than previously believed, prompting a reevaluation of cosmic evolution theories.

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Story summary

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope discovered a primordial black hole, QSO1, potentially formed shortly after the Big Bang.
QSO1 has 50 million solar masses and lacks a significant surrounding galaxy, indicating independent formation.
The oldest confirmed black hole, 300 million solar masses, was found in galaxy CAPERS-LRD-z9, dating back 500 million years post-Big Bang.
These discoveries suggest early black holes may have grown faster than previously believed, prompting a reevaluation of cosmic evolution theories.