“Astronomers have made a remarkable revelation using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) that challenges our understanding of the early universe. During a critical phase when the cosmos was aged between 4 to 6 billion years, it appears there were fewer supermassive black holes engaging in their characteristic feeding frenzy than previously hypothesized.
Supermassive black holes, colossal entities that can weigh millions or even billions of times more than our sun, grow by consuming matter present in flattened disks called accretion disks. As these black holes feast, their immense gravitational forces heat up the surrounding material, resulting in the emission of vast amounts of radiation. The entire zone, including the radiating jets, is termed an active galactic nucleus (AGN).
Although supermassive black holes exist in most large galaxies, not all of them reach the status of AGNs due to varying levels of matter consumption. AGNs can emit luminosity so intense that it outshines the collective brightness of all stars within their host galaxies.
This groundbreaking revelation was unveiled through the capabilities of the JWST’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), shedding new light on the attributes of AGNs and revealing the complexities tied to identifying these phenomena during the universe’s early stages. Supported by the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) program, these findings also imply that the universe’s “adolescence,” often considered a period of vigorous star formation, may have been more tranquil than initially assumed.
The mysteries of the universe continue to unfold, with the James Webb Space Telescope serving as a pioneering tool, providing us with deeper insights into the enigmatic cosmos.”
