Scientists use the James Webb Telescope to measure a massive, quiet black hole
Scientists use the James Webb Telescope to measure a massive, quiet black hole
Updated at: June 5, 2026 at 09:15 AM
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has reached a new milestone in space exploration.
Scientists recently measured the mass of a 'dormant' supermassive black hole located in the galaxy MRG-M0138, over 10 billion light-years away.
Unlike active black holes, known as quasars, which shine brightly while consuming gas, dormant black holes are completely invisible because they are currently inactive.
This behemoth is estimated to be 6 billion times the mass of the Sun, marking a record-breaking observation distance 15 times farther than previous efforts.
To achieve this, researchers utilized gravitational lensing—a 'cosmic magnifying glass' caused by a foreground galaxy cluster—to focus the infrared light.
By observing the speed of stars orbiting the center of MRG-M0138, scientists calculated the gravitational pull, revealing the black hole's immense size.
Interestingly, this galaxy has stopped forming new stars, hinting at a deep connection between a black hole's activity and its host galaxy's life cycle.
This breakthrough helps astronomers map how black holes grew during the early universe, expanding our knowledge far beyond the local neighborhood.
