Asger Risom
James Webb observations of distant “tiny red dots” suggest supermassive black holes were already massive just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang — far earlier than current theories predict.
Astronomers say something doesn’t add up.
Observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have revealed tiny red dots in the early universe that appear to be quasars — the energetic precursors to supermassive black holes.
The problem is their timing. According to current models, these cosmic giants should not have had enough time to grow so large so soon after the Big Bang.
The findings, led by astrophysicist Jorryt Matthee of the Austrian Institute of Science and Technology, were published in The Astrophysical Journal.
Tiny red dots, massive implications
Using JWST’s powerful infrared instruments, researchers identified small, distant galaxies located roughly 13 billion light-years away.
Within them, they detected specific wavelengths of light associated with hot, rapidly moving hydrogen gas — a signature typically linked to actively feeding supermassive black holes.
These early objects appear to be quasars in their formative stages. Yet their estimated masses suggest extremely rapid growth in a relatively short cosmic timeframe.
“It’s like looking at a 5-year-old who’s 6 feet 6 inches tall,” Matthee said. “Something doesn’t add up.”
The analogy captures the core mystery: if the universe was still in its infancy, how did these black holes grow so massive so quickly?
A challenge to existing theories
Supermassive black holes sit at the centers of most galaxies, including the Milky Way. Standard theories suggest they grow over vast periods of time through gradual accretion of matter and mergers with other black holes.
The newly observed objects — described by Matthee as “problematic quasars” — may force scientists to reconsider how black holes formed in the early universe.
One possibility is that they were born from unusually massive “seed” black holes that formed through mechanisms not yet fully understood.
Researchers now plan to gather more data on the host galaxies, including measuring stellar masses and chemical compositions.
Understanding the environments in which these early black holes formed could help explain their unexpected size.
Black hole formation remains one of the least understood areas in astrophysics. If these findings hold up under further scrutiny, they could reshape current models of cosmic evolution.
Sources: elEconomista.es, The Astrophysical Journal
