Stunning space snap hides rare ‘one-in-a-thousand' secret – and it may be the first time it has ever been seen by humans
Astronomers believe they have photographed the first ever birth of a supermassive black hole.
While experts have gained an understanding of what these supersized giants are, they previously didn't know how they were created.
A supermassive black hole weighs millions, to tens of billions, of Suns, and form the centre of almost every galaxy.
It forms the gravitational centre for everything else - including stars and planets - to revolve around.
However, scientists now believe they have seen a supermassive black hole being formed for the first time ever.
1
This could provide valuable insight into the space wonder.
The process was captured in a pair of galaxies whose light has travelled for 8.3 million years according to Science Alert.
The discovery was made by a Yale-led astronomy team, in a galaxy they've called "Infinity".
Its name comes from its figure-eight shape, as three supermassive black holes can be seen as the galaxies collide.
Within each galaxy a supermassive black hole can be seen at its nucleus, with a third glowing at their overlap.
The team used a James Webb Space Telescope to observe the two recently-collided galaxies.
CLOSE CALL 'It was a sign' - Clare girl, 10, spots surprise comet that 'shines brighter than Venus'
Within the cloud of gas at its centre, they identified a supermassive black hole.
Unusually, the black hole was not located at the nucleus of the vast galaxy, but rather in the middle of where they were colliding.
This gave them an indication that they might be witnessing an unprecedented event.
Yale astonomer Pieter van Dokkum said: "We think we're witnessing the birth of a supermassive black hole - something that has never been seen before."
There are currently a number of theories regarding the formation of black holes.
This includes the "light seeds" theory, in which small black holes are believed to have been formed when stars' cores collapsed and exploded.
These smaller black holes are believed to have then merged into the supermassive versions.
However, this theory has been somewhat debunked by research that found supermassive black holes that were born too early for this long-term merging to have taken place.
Instead, the "heavy seeds" theory has been favoured by some astronomers.
This argues that larger black holes can form when large clouds of gas collapse, although typically this is known to form stars.
The Infinity galaxy could support the "heavy seeds" theory by showing how, in extreme conditions, a gas collapse could create a black hole.
The team is pursuing ongoing research to confirm the findings.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
15 hours ago
- Telegraph
Alzheimer's wonder drug delays disease for four years
Alzheimer's patients can stave off the progression of disease for four years with radical new treatments, The Telegraph can reveal. Trial findings show that some patients – who were given the drug lecanemab at an early stage and had little 'pathological' change to the brain – even saw improvements in their cognitive scores. The drug was licensed for use in the UK last year after trials found it was the first medication to slow progression of disease. Over 18 months, it was found to have slowed it by 5.7 months. The new findings, from a trial of 478 patients who stayed on the drug for four years, found an average delay of almost 11 months before their disease progressed to the next stage. Remarkable results were seen in a sub-group of patients who had low levels of tau, the protein that accumulates as Alzheimer's progresses. In total, 69 per cent of those in this group had no decline at all over four years, and 56 per cent saw an improvement in their cognitive scores. Prof Christopher Van Dyck, the director of the Alzheimer's Research unit at the Yale school of medicine and the study leader, said: 'The thing I really focus on is the time saved. You will get worse over time, but it will take longer to get there.' He said the findings, presented for manufacturers Eisai, made the case for starting early in treatment of Alzheimer's as 'people with the lowest pathology do tend to do the best'. Experts said the results – presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Toronto – offered hope that the new class of medicines could 'meaningfully change the course of the disease', not just slow decline in the short-term. They also said there was growing evidence to support earlier prescribing of such drugs, with trials planned shortly to see if similar medications, which appear to have fewer side effects, could one day be used preventively. About one million people in the UK suffer from dementia, with Alzheimer's disease the most common form. Lecanemab is part of a new class of medicines aimed at clearing amyloid plaques, the hallmark of Alzheimer's. Typically, patients with mild dementia see scores rise by between one and two points a year on scoring systems used to track the disease. But across the whole trial group, decline was measured at an increase of just 1.75 points over four years. Results from a separate trial of donanemab, a similar drug, also showed powerful results. The drug is normally given for 18 months, or until amyloid in the brain is cleared. Scientists tracked patients for a total of three years, including the time off the drug. The changes in dementia scores, compared with untreated patients, suggest that those prescribed donenamab had gained between six and 12 months before disease progressed. Dr Sheona Scales, the director of research at Alzheimer's Research UK said: 'These latest findings offer renewed hope that Alzheimer's treatments can meaningfully change the course of the disease, not just slow decline in the short term. 'New long-term data show that the benefits of donanemab may continue even after treatment ends, and people on lecanemab for up to four years maintained cognitive gains, with some even improving. Among those treated early with lecanemab and with low levels of tau, over half showed no decline after four years. 'This is the first wave of disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer's and, while the progress is encouraging, there are still many pieces of the puzzle we don't yet have.' Dr Scales said studies were helping to address key questions about long-term benefits, but uncertainties remained over what happens in the brain when treatment stops and whether amyloid levels stay low long-term. 'As the evidence grows, it's vital that in the UK we continue to evaluate the potential benefit that the treatments could offer to people with Alzheimer's,' she added. Results from another trial earlier this week suggest that a third treatment called trontinemab, which works in a similar way, but is engineered to reduce side effects, could be the most powerful weapon yet against dementia. The study presented earlier this week found the treatment can clear the devastating plaques associated with Alzheimer's far more rapidly than any current licensed drug. The lack of side effects means it could be offered to large populations. This also means it could be offered at a far lower price than current medications, which require intense monitoring – including regular scans – meaning it is more likely to be funded by the NHS.
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Mysterious phenomenon that's causing this summer to fly by... as experts reveal the devastating consequences
If summer feels like its flying by - you may be right. Earth has seen a stretch of historically shorter days this month as the planet's rotation mysteriously accelerates.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- The Guardian
Planetary scientist Michele Dougherty becomes first female astronomer royal
A planetary scientist whose research revealed the possibility of extraterrestrial life on one of Saturn's moons has been made the first female astronomer royal. Prof Michele Dougherty, a leading space physicist who was a researcher for the Nasa Cassini mission, has been awarded the 350-year-old honorary title. As an investigator on two major space missions, Dougherty has played a role in major discoveries in the solar system, including the revelation that jets of water vapour shoot out of one of Saturn's moons, Enceladus, meaning it may be able to support life. Dougherty said she was 'absolutely delighted' with her appointment. She added: 'As a young child I never thought I'd end up working on planetary spacecraft missions and science, so I can't quite believe I'm actually taking on this position. In this role I look forward to engaging the general public in how exciting astronomy is, and how important it and its outcomes are to our everyday life.' The role of astronomer royal was created in 1675, with the aim of discovering how to determine longitude at sea when out of sight of land. The outgoing astronomer royal, Martin Rees, is retiring from the role. Dougherty told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Wednesday: 'I've always wanted to make sure that if I'm ever selected for a role, it's because of what I do, and not because I'm female. Particularly for young girls, seeing someone who looks like them in a role like this will potentially allow them to dream that they might be able to do something like this in the future. So if it makes just a few people think: 'Oh maybe I can do something that looks a bit scary,' then I would have achieved one of the things I'd like to achieve.' She will hold the role alongside her current positions as executive chair of the Science and Technology Facilities Council, president-elect of the Institute of Physics and as a professor of space physics at Imperial College London. She said she feared for the future of science funding. 'Things are unsettled right now across the world on a range of fronts. That's why it's so important that in the UK we are very open about why we do the research we do and why it is so important to the health and wellbeing of the UK economy.' Her main role will be to 'talk to people about the science we do and how it can impact people' She said she wanted to 'enthuse and excite people'. Dougherty, 62, was born in South Africa and has English and Irish grandparents. When she was about 10 years old, her father built a telescope, and Dougherty and her sister helped mix the concrete for its base. 'My first view of Jupiter and its four large moons and Saturn and its rings was through my dad's telescope,' she told Today. Her expertise lies in designing and operating instruments to measure the magnetic field in space on Nasa and European Space Agency (Esa) probes. She noticed a 'tiny anomaly' in the Cassini spacecraft's measurement of the magnetic field as the probe flew by Enceladus in 2005, suggesting the moon might have an unexpected atmosphere. She convinced Nasa chiefs to send Cassini back for a closer look. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion She told the Times: 'I didn't sleep for the first couple of nights beforehand. Imagine if we hadn't seen anything. No one would have believed anything I said ever again. But we saw that, instead of an atmosphere, it was a water vapour plume coming out of the south pole.' Enceladus is now considered one of the most promising places to look for alien life. Dougherty has designed instruments to find out more, including a magnetometer that is two years into an eight-year journey onboard Esa's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) mission. It will scan Ganymede, the solar system's largest moon, which is bigger than Mercury and the only one with a spinning core, looking for a 'global ocean' under the surface. Dougherty began work on Cassini in 1992 and the probe operated until 2017. She started on Juice in 2008; it will reach Jupiter in 2031 and operate until 2035. Prof Dame Angela McLean, the government's chief scientific adviser, said: 'Warm congratulations to Professor Michele Dougherty on her appointment to the distinguished position of astronomer royal. This is a fitting recognition of her outstanding work and enduring commitment to the field of astronomy.'
