Scientists Discover the Oldest , Black Hole , Ever Observed.<br />In 2016, the Hubble Space Telescope spotted <br />GN-z11, the most distant galaxy ever identified, <br />having formed 13.4 billion years ago, <br />just 400 million years after the Big Bang.<br />However, GN-z11 presented astronomers with a puzzling <br />problem, as the galaxy appeared to be much brighter, <br />or densely packed with stars, than it should have been. .<br />NPR reports that a team of scientists, using the powerful James Webb Space Telescope, believe they may <br />have solved the mystery of the ancient galaxy. .<br />NPR reports that a team of scientists, using the powerful James Webb Space Telescope, believe they may <br />have solved the mystery of the ancient galaxy. .<br />Roberto Maiolino, an astrophysicist at the University <br />of Cambridge, and his colleagues believe that <br />a massive black hole is responsible for the anomaly. .<br />While the black hole itself, which is <br />about 1.6 million times the mass of <br />our Sun, is unable to emit any light.<br />Maiolino and his team suggest that all the material <br />being drawn into the black hole may be hot and bright <br />enough to create GN-z11's intense radiance.<br />This black hole is essentially <br />eating the [equivalent of] an entire <br />Sun every five years. It's actually <br />much higher than we thought could <br />be feasible for these black holes, Roberto Maiolino, astrophysicist at <br />the University of Cambridge, via NPR.<br />According to Maiolino, the existence of this ancient <br />black hole calls into question the origin of black holes <br />and the processes by which they feed and grow.<br />The team believes that supermassive black holes may <br />have been generated by the collapse of huge clouds <br />of primordial gas in the aftermath of the Big Bang.<br />Another alternative explanation could be that <br />a sea of smaller black holes merged and <br />consumed a vast amount of matter that <br />spurred unexpectedly quick growth. .<br />The team also believes that this black hole has <br />stunted the growth of GN-z11, impeding star <br />formation and ultimately strangling the galaxy.
