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Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope may have found the strongest evidence yet of a supermassive black hole forming through the direct collapse of a gigantic gas cloud\u2014a process long predicted by theory but never conclusively observed. The candidate lies inside an unusual system nicknamed the Infinity Galaxy because its two bright stellar rings resemble a sideways figure eight. Researchers believe the structure was produced when two disk galaxies collided head-on, compressing enormous quantities of gas between their nuclei.<\/p>\n
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Webb\u2019s infrared observations revealed an actively feeding black hole embedded inside that central gas, rather than occupying the core of either galaxy as supermassive black holes normally do. The object is estimated to contain roughly one million times the mass of the Sun. According to the research team, the galactic collision may have shocked and compressed the gas so violently that part of it collapsed directly into a massive black hole without first forming an ordinary star. This \u201cheavy seed\u201d scenario could solve one of modern astronomy\u2019s most persistent mysteries: how the early universe produced enormous black holes so quickly. In the conventional \u201clight seed\u201d model, a massive star dies, leaving a relatively small black hole that grows by consuming material and merging with others.<\/p>\n
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That process requires time, yet Webb has discovered giant black holes during periods when the universe may have been too young for gradual growth to explain their size. A direct-collapse event could instead create a black hole hundreds of thousands or even a million times the Sun\u2019s mass almost immediately. Webb\u2019s follow-up measurements showed that the candidate black hole is positioned near the middle of the surrounding gas\u2019s velocity distribution, strengthening the argument that it formed there rather than being ejected from another galaxy or merely appearing in the same line of sight. Radio observations from the Very Large Array and X-ray data from NASA\u2019s Chandra Observatory also indicate that it is actively pulling in matter.<\/p>\n
Remarkably, the two colliding galactic nuclei each contain another active supermassive black hole, giving the Infinity Galaxy three active black holes in total. Scientists caution that Webb did not record a literal video of a dark sphere suddenly appearing. Black holes emit no light directly; astronomers identify them through radiation from heated material, the motion of surrounding gas and their gravitational effects.<\/p>\n
The spectacular whirlpool-like images used in thumbnails are typically illustrations rather than Webb photographs. Researchers also say the direct-collapse interpretation remains a candidate explanation, not a final confirmation, and alternative scenarios must continue to be tested.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, other Webb observations have found early black holes containing tens of millions of solar masses while surrounded by surprisingly little stellar material, supporting the possibility that some black holes were born enormous and later built galaxies around themselves.<\/p>\n