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Chandra Spots Early-Universe Black Hole Growing Above Theoretical Limit

Chandra X-ray data point to accretion roughly 2.4 times the Eddington limit, prompting fresh observations.

Overview

  • RACS J0320–35 lies about 12.8 billion light-years away, seen when the universe was roughly 920 million years old, with an estimated mass near one billion Suns.
  • Researchers estimate a feeding rate equivalent to roughly 300 to 3,000 solar masses per year, exceeding standard thin-disk expectations.
  • The object emits exceptionally strong X-rays and is reported as among the most luminous black holes detected from the universe’s first billions of years.
  • Luca Ighina of the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics called the rapid growth 'shocking' and described the source as one of the most extreme observed.
  • First flagged in 2022 with Chandra’s help, the source is now driving calls for multiwavelength follow-up; a separate claim of a near-term 'black hole explosion' observation was mentioned without firm sourcing.