The James Webb Space Telescope has uncovered a colossal supermassive black hole, dubbed 'BiRD' (Big Red Dot), feasting in the early universe. This discovery, made by astronomers, sheds light on the enigmatic growth of supermassive black holes, which can reach sizes of millions to billions of times the sun's mass. BiRD, with a mass equivalent to 100 million suns, was found in the vicinity of a quasar, J1030, located 12.5 billion light-years away. The region has been extensively studied by astronomers, but BiRD was a surprise, detected through the JWST's Near-Infrared Camera. Federica Loiacono, the team leader, noted its unique characteristics, distinct from prior X-ray and radio data. The black hole's spectrum revealed clear signals of hydrogen and helium, indicating its mass and distance. This discovery challenges existing theories, as BiRD's X-ray silence contradicts the expected behavior of ravenous black holes. The team suggests that BiRD might be a 'seed' black hole, shielded by gas and dust, allowing it to grow without emitting X-rays. This finding could revolutionize our understanding of 'little red dots' and the evolution of supermassive black holes, contradicting previous beliefs that these objects would diminish around cosmic noon.
