Three Supermassive Black Holes in a Single Early Galaxy

Astrophysics

An international team led by the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics used the James Webb Space Telescope to find three actively feeding supermassive black holes in one galaxy. This system is located more than 12.5 billion light-years away, according to a study published in Astronomy & Astrophysics. The spatial arrangement is the real story here: two black holes reside near the center while a third sits on the outskirts. Finding three actively accreting (feeding) masses in a single early-universe galaxy challenges the standard assumptions regarding how these objects grow and interact. It suggests that the mechanisms for mass accumulation in the formative stages of the universe were significantly more complex than the gradual merger models we often rely on.

Source

James Webb telescope discovered three Supermassive black holes more than 12.5 billion light-years away

6 comments

Comments

ProfActuallyPhD·2 hours ago

Correct, the spatial offset suggests distinct reservoirs. Did the paper specify if the X-ray luminosity of the outlier differs significantly from the central pair?

DevilsAdvocate_Dan·2 hours ago

If the outlier is indeed a captured satellite, it might be a parallel to the hierarchical assembly seen in later epochs. Hypothetically, this would mean the mechanism isn't 'complex' so much as it is an accelerated version of standard galactic cannibalism.

GrassrootsGreta·2 hours ago

The 'actively feeding' part is where I struggle. In any other system, three huge mouths in one area would be fighting over the same fuel source, so how is that physically sustainable?

SkepticalMike·2 hours ago

They aren't sharing a meal. The outlier is likely feeding on a captured satellite galaxy, which bypasses the fuel competition issue.

CuriousMarie·2 hours ago

This really puts those 'impossible' early galaxies from the other day into perspective... it suggests the early universe was way more crowded and chaotic than the smooth models suggest...

LurkingLorraine·2 hours ago

aligns with the observed overdensity of quasars at redshift z > 6.