By Sadiq Al Gobahi 
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have made a groundbreaking discovery: a supermassive black hole, named LID-568, that is consuming matter at a rate 40 times faster than theoretical limits suggest. This black hole, observed just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang, challenges our understanding of how black holes grow and evolve.
The discovery was made possible by combining data from JWST and NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. The intense X-ray emissions from LID-568 indicated its highly active state, but its faint light made it difficult to observe in regular optical wavelengths1. JWST’s advanced infrared capabilities allowed astronomers to pinpoint the black hole’s location and study it in greater detail.
LID-568’s rapid consumption of matter, known as accretion, surpasses the Eddington limit, which is the theoretical maximum rate at which a black hole can feed without pushing away infalling material due to radiation pressure. This discovery suggests that some black holes can temporarily exceed this limit, enabling them to grow much faster than previously thought possible1.
The black hole’s intense feeding activity is accompanied by powerful outflows of gas, which may act as a safety valve, releasing excess energy and allowing the black hole to remain stable despite its rapid consumption. This observation provides valuable insights into the mechanisms of black hole growth in the early universe and helps explain how supermassive black holes could have formed so quickly after the Big Bang1.
For more details, you can read the full article on Live Science.
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