Context:

Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Chandra X-ray Observatory have discovered LID-568, a black hole that challenges existing theories of black hole formation.

·        Located just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang, LID-568 is feeding at a rate nearly 40 times faster than the previously thought upper limit, known as the Eddington limit.

The Mystery of Super-Eddington Accretion:

The Eddington limit defines the maximum rate at which a black hole can accrete matter, balancing the gravitational pull with the outward pressure of radiation.

·        If radiation pressure exceeds gravity, the black hole stops feeding.

·        However, LID-568 surpasses this limit by 40 times, engaging in super-Eddington accretion, a phenomenon that was previously believed to be impossible on such a scale.

Breaking New Ground:
LID-568’s discovery is significant for two reasons:

·        It is located farther away than other known super-Eddington black holes

·        It exceeds the limit by an astonishing factor of 40.

This is a rare event, as such accretion episodes are usually short-lived, and observing it provides valuable insights into the early growth of supermassive black holes.

What LID-568 Could Teach Us:
LID-568 challenges traditional models of black hole formation, which suggest that supermassive black holes form from gas cloud collapses or the death of the first stars.

Its rapid growth during short bursts of super-Eddington accretion could offer a new explanation for how these black holes became so large so quickly after the Big Bang, even with relatively small initial masses.

About Black Holes:
Supermassive black holes, found at the centers of galaxies, are millions to billions of times the mass of the Sun. LID-568 offers rare insights into their early formation and growth, reshaping our understanding of these cosmic giants.

About James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and Chandra X-Ray Observatory:

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a next-generation space telescope designed primarily for infrared observations.

·        Developed through collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), it serves as the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Key features of JWST include:

• Infrared optimization for observing distant, faint objects beyond the reach of visible light.
• A 6.5-meter primary mirror with 18 hexagonal gold-coated segments, which fold for launch and unfold in space.
• A five-layer sunshield to protect instruments from solar heat and maintain low temperatures essential for infrared observations.
• Operating from the Lagrange Point 2 (L2), minimizing light interference and fuel consumption for orbital corrections.
• High sensitivity to study the earliest stars and galaxies formed after the Big Bang.

The main objectives of JWST are to investigate the origins of galaxies, star formation, and planetary systems, and to assess the potential for life in other systems by analyzing their physical and chemical properties.

Chandra X-Ray Observatory, launched in 1999, is NASA's premier X-ray telescope, studying high-energy phenomena like exploded stars, galaxy clusters, and black holes. It offers unrivaled X-ray resolution, helping scientists explore the universe’s most extreme environments.