JWST finds unusual black hole in the center of the Infinity Galaxy: 'How can we make sense of this?'

JWST finds unusual black hole in the center of the Infinity Galaxy: 'How can we make sense of this?'

Everything about the Infinity Galaxy, recently discovered by the JWST, is strange. One odd feature could be the 1st evidence of a "direct collapse" black hole.

JWST Finds Black Hole Between Galaxy Cores, Hinting at Rare Direct Collapse Birth

Using JWST, astronomers discovered a black hole between two galaxy cores in the Infinity Galaxy—possibly the first direct evidence of a black hole formed by gas collapse, not stellar death. This rare “heavy seed” black hole challenges standard models and could help explain how supermassive black holes appeared so soon after the Big Bang.

Did Webb find a black hole formed by a direct collapse?

This is the Webb telescope’s image of the Infinity galaxy, the result of 2 colliding spiral galaxies. It includes 2 rings of stars with the 2 nuclei of the spiral galaxies (yellow) within the rings. The green between them is glowing hydrogen stripped of its electrons. Also, astronomers have detected a million-solar-mass black hole that seems to be embedded within this large swath of ionized gas. They suggest the black hole might have formed ther…