A Mysterious small red thing in space was found by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) raising new questions about the evolution of galaxies such as the Milky Way. The breathtaking brightness and concentration of these small red dots which were observed by JWST’s advanced infrared sensors are baffling scientists and compelling them to rethink early universe theories.
From Mature Galaxies to Black Hole Stars
First, scientists thought that these red spots were already complete galaxies that already existed 500 to 700 million years after the Big Bang which was a shocking find because galaxies that would develop so early were unlikely. This prompted scientists to call them universe breakers.
But subsequent studies indicated these objects did not act like normal galaxies. They could be a whole new type of celestial object giant black hole stars and enormous gas spheres driven by supermassive black holes not by normal nuclear fusion like regular stars.
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What is the Spectroscopic Hunt & The Cliff?
The Penn State Scientists collaborated with a global team that spent about 60 hours during the months of December and January 2024 using JWST to gather a spectroscopic dataset of about 4,500 distant galaxies. The Cliff, a bright red spot whose record-breaking status defied conventional theories of the universe.
The readings showed that instead of the hot environments traditionally seen with black holes and the light produced was dominated by cool gas atmospheres more common among low-mass stars.
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What is a New Window into Black Hole Evolution?
This revelation brought forth a breakthrough hypothesis red dots may be nascent black hole stars gigantic gas clouds powered by black holes actively devouring matter in their centers. This provides a new window onto the birth of supermassive black holes at galaxy centers like the one that holds the Milky Way together. As Penn State’s Joel Leja explained these mysterious objects may be the adolescence of black holes we see today.
The researchers are now considering further study to investigate gas densities and energy outputs in an effort to cement this new cosmic model. Leja concludes that although the universe still keeps us guessing, this concept right now best explains the observations and presents thrilling avenues for future study.
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