The universe just got a little more mysterious. The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a stunning image of a 'big red dot' in the ancient cosmos, revealing a fascinating secret.
A hungry supermassive black hole has been discovered, dating back to the era of 'cosmic noon', approximately 4 billion years after the Big Bang. This finding sheds light on the enigmatic growth of these colossal black holes, which can reach masses millions to billions of times that of our Sun.
But here's the twist: this black hole, named BiRD (Big Red Dot), is not so little. With a mass of 100 million times that of the Sun, it defies the typical 'little red dots' discovered by JWST. These dots are intriguing objects with unique spectroscopic traits, and some believe they could be a new type of celestial body called 'black hole stars'.
And this is where it gets controversial—the team's analysis suggests that BiRD is one of these little red dots, despite its massive size. It was found near a known quasar, J1030+0524, a supermassive black hole located 12.5 billion light-years away. The researchers, from the National Institute for Astrophysics, carefully studied the infrared data from JWST's NIRCam instrument and uncovered BiRD's unique signature.
"We noticed BiRD as a bright, point-like object, but it wasn't a star," said Federica Loiacono, the team leader. By analyzing its spectrum, they identified hydrogen and helium signatures, allowing them to estimate BiRD's distance and the mass of its central black hole.
The mystery deepens as little red dots are expected to emit strongly in X-rays, but BiRD and its counterparts don't seem to follow this pattern. One theory suggests these dots are the seeds of supermassive black holes, still hidden by gas and dust, which absorb X-rays but allow infrared light to pass through.
BiRD is an exceptional find, with only two other little red dots sharing similar spectral traits at such a distance. The team's comparison revealed striking similarities, leading them to conclude that BiRD is indeed a member of the little red dot family.
This discovery challenges previous beliefs about the disappearance of these objects during cosmic noon, around 11 billion years ago. The researchers calculated that little red dots were still abundant during this period, reshaping our understanding of supermassive black hole evolution.
The study, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, opens a new chapter in extragalactic astrophysics, as Loiacono states, "JWST is revealing objects we didn't suspect existed." This finding sparks curiosity about the nature of little red dots and the growth of supermassive black holes, leaving us with more questions than answers. What other secrets does the universe hold, waiting to be unveiled by JWST's powerful gaze?
