Dormant Black Hole in Early Universe Challenges Growth Models

A supermassive black hole, 400 million times the mass of the Sun, has been discovered in a quiet state, defying expectations about early black hole development.

• Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) identified a black hole from 800 million years after the Big Bang, weighing 400 million solar masses.
• The black hole constitutes 40% of its host galaxy's mass, a stark contrast to the typical 0.1% ratio seen in most galaxies today.
• Despite its size, the black hole is in a dormant state, accreting matter at a rate 100 times below the theoretical maximum, known as the Eddington limit.
• Researchers suggest black holes may grow rapidly during short bursts of hyperactivity, followed by extended periods of dormancy lasting up to 100 million years.
• This discovery, part of the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES), raises questions about current black hole formation theories, hinting at the possibility of black holes being 'born big' or growing through episodic feeding cycles.

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