NASA's Webb Reveals Black Hole Formed Before Its Galaxy

10 quintillion hydrogen bombs every second: Webb detects massive galactic eruption

Scientists have discovered an enormous stream of super-hot gas erupting from a nearby galaxy, driven by a powerful black hole at its center. The jets stretch farther than the galaxy itself and spiral outward in a rare, never-before-seen pattern. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope pierced through thick dust to reveal this violent outflow. The process is so intense it’s robbing the galaxy of star-forming gas at a staggering rate.

Webb reveals black hole that formed before its galaxy

Which comes first, the galaxy or the black hole? We don't know, but scientists have long thought it could be the galaxy: Large stars within an existing galaxy consume their fuel and collapse to form black holes, which can gobble up surrounding material and merge over time to form more massive entities.

Scientists Found a Black Hole That Breaks The Rules of Astrophysics

"It’s a paradigm shift, a total revisiting of the classical scenarios.” ScienceAlert stories are written, fact-checked, and edited by humans, never generated by AI. Don't miss a story, subscribe here.

'A Paradigm Shift': Supermassive Black Hole Without a Galaxy Changes What We Thought Came First

A recent Webb discovery defies the classic scenario of how black holes form and grow.

James Webb Space Telescope discovers a black hole that formed before its host galaxy. Scientists aren't sure how

Observations of "Little Red Dot" ancient galaxies by the James Webb Space Telescope could answer the question: which comes first, the black hole or its galaxy? The shocking answer could represent a complete paradigm shift.