⚫ Excitement around "impossible black holes"

For a long time, black holes were seen as mathematical curiosities lacking solid observational proof. This viewpoint changed in the 1960s with the identification of Cygnus X-1, an X-ray source considered the first serious candidate. Subsequently, astronomers established that most large galaxies harbor supermassive black holes at their centers, whose properties are closely linked to those of their host galaxies.

As is often the case in scientific research, this understanding gave rise to a new question. Observations show that supermassive black holes existed very early in cosmic history, only a few hundred million years after the Big Bang. Their size and rapid growth challenge traditional formation models, which assume a slow evolution from collapsed stars.


To elucidate this phenomenon, a team led by Priyamvada Natarajan put forward the idea that the first black holes could form from the direct collapse of primordial gas clouds. These objects, named direct-collapse black holes, would possess colossal initial masses, allowing them to quickly reach supermassive sizes. This theoretical proposal helps explain how black holes of billions of solar masses could appear so soon after the birth of the Universe.

The predictions of this team are beginning to be verified by observatories like the James Webb Space Telescope and the Chandra observatory. For example, UHZ1, observed 470 million years after the Big Bang, hosts a supermassive black hole accreting matter. Another galaxy, nicknamed Infinity Galaxy, shows structures resulting from collisions, with a black hole located within a vast reservoir of gas, which supports the direct-collapse hypothesis.

These discoveries are helping to refine theoretical ideas put forward more than a decade ago. We are in a new golden age of astrophysics, and we are closely following the research in this field here at Techno-Science.net.

Did You Know?

Equations initially conceived to describe black holes are found in our daily lives.

Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity describes how matter and energy warp spacetime. This theoretical framework is essential for correcting the time shifts in GPS satellites. In orbit, their clocks run slightly faster due to less intense Earth gravity. Without these precise adjustments, our navigation systems would quickly accumulate significant positioning errors.