Another year, another black hole. Remember in 2023, when scientists found the biggest black hole yet? Well, 2024 has the sequel, as they’ve now discovered a brand new black hole – and it’s even larger!
The Details
Just like in 2023, we have the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to thank for this amazing discovery. This is now the earliest known black hole, it’s located 13 billion light-years away – in a galaxy called GN-z11 – and dates to 400 million years after the Big Bang. What’s surprising about this black hole is its large size.
The Experts Weigh In
Astrophysicist Roberto Maiolino explained scientists’ confusion by saying, “It’s not its age that is surprising, it is the fact that it is already so big so early in the universe, which is difficult to explain with standard theories.” Another astrophysicist, Priyamvada Natarajan echoed Maiolino’s sentiment by saying, “It’s just really early on in the universe to be such a behemoth.”
For context, this black hole is roughly 1.6 million times as big as our sun. Hopefully, the scientific community can look into this discovery more as the year goes on.