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 a time known as 'cosmic noon', approximately 4 billion years after the Big Bang. This discovery sheds light on the enigmatic growth of these colossal black holes, which can reach masses millions or even billions of times greater than 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 our Sun, it's a true cosmic giant. BiRD was found near a known quasar, J1030+0524, a supermassive black hole located 12.5 billion light-years away. The team from the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) made this discovery while analyzing images from the JWST's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam).
And this is where it gets intriguing: BiRD is one of the 'little red dots', mysterious objects recently discovered by the JWST. These dots are thought to be a new class of celestial body, possibly 'black hole stars'. However, BiRD and its fellow dots challenge the idea that growing supermassive black holes emit strong X-rays, as they seem to lack this signature.
The researchers suggest that these little red dots might be the seeds of supermassive black holes, still hidden by thick gas and dust, absorbing X-rays while letting infrared light escape. BiRD is an exceptional case, with only two other known dots sharing its spectral characteristics at such a distance. This discovery may reshape our understanding of black hole growth and evolution, as it suggests that little red dots were still abundant during cosmic noon.
The study, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, opens a new chapter in extragalactic astrophysics, leaving us with more questions than answers. What other secrets does the universe hold? Are there more BiRDs out there? The adventure has only just begun!
