Astronomers have discovered the most distant dormant black hole known to date

Recently, astronomers have detected and estimated the mass of the most distant dormant black hole ever discovered. Indeed, this black hole, which is virtually invisible, is located in the galaxy MRG-M0138, about 10 billion light-years away.

To obtain these results, astronomers used data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. However, this black hole is inactive and does not accrete surrounding matter. In addition, according to the researchers, no quasar has been detected.

Thus, to find it, they used a phenomenon known as gravitational lensing caused by another galaxy located between MRG-M0138 and Earth, which allowed them to detect the movements of stars located near this black hole.

As a result, by studying the speed of these stars, researchers were able to estimate its mass at about 6 billion times that of the Sun. But that's not all, because thanks to this discovery and with the help of the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers will be able to better understand these black holes.

Indeed, their behavior and evolution remain largely unknown. In addition, it might also be possible to detect other similar objects in the universe, which would allow astronomers to answer some questions that remain unanswered.