James Webb telescope finds 3 supermassive black holes in J0148-4214
Scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope just found not one, but three supermassive black holes in a galaxy called J0148-4214, more than 12.5 billion light-years away.
This means we are seeing the galaxy as it was only about 1.2 billion years after the Big Bang, offering an amazing glimpse into the universe's early days.
Hydrogen emission suggests mergers drive growth
The team identified these black holes by looking at unusual light patterns from hydrogen gas swirling around them: two are close to the galaxy's center and one sits further out.
Their research suggests that black hole merging may be an additional, fast route for their rapid growth in the early Universe.
Scientists hope further studies will help scientists reconstruct the history of black hole mergers and better understand how the universe produced its most massive black holes so early in cosmic history.