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- New 'baby' supermassive black hole candidate spotted in the so‑called Infinity Galaxy, a galaxy about 8 billion lightyears away, shaped like a figure‑eight due to two colliding galaxies
- Dual-ring structure: Infrared images from the James Webb Space Telescope reveal two rings of stars and gas, likely the aftermath of a galaxy collision
- X‑ray and radio clues: Chandra X‑ray and VLA radio data pinpoint intense activity between the two nuclei, indicating a growing black hole at the collision site
- Unusual location: Unlike most supermassive black holes, this one isn’t centred in a galaxy nucleus. It’s floating between them
- Formed in shock‑compressed gas: Spectroscopy shows the black hole and surrounding gas move at similar speeds, suggesting it formed right in the compressed gas left by the collision about 50 million years ago
- Supports heavy seed theory: This could be a nearby example (in cosmic terms) of direct-collapse formation, where black holes can form rapidly any time, not just in the early Universe
- Links to early‑Universe mysteries: Helps explain why Webb has spotted surprisingly massive black holes close to the Big Bang. It shows such heavy‑seed formation can happen throughout cosmic history
- Big implications: Suggests extreme galaxy collisions can trigger fresh births of supermassive black holes, reshaping our understanding of galaxy and black hole evolution
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