Chapter 1: The Unveiling of an Ancient Black Hole

Recent astronomical discoveries are continually challenging our current understanding of the universe's evolution. A groundbreaking finding reveals the existence of a black hole located in a galaxy that existed when the universe was merely 1.7 billion years old. This discovery stands in stark contrast to existing models of galaxy formation, which suggest that the early universe was chaotic and took billions of years to stabilize into galaxies resembling our Milky Way.

Previously, I discussed the discovery of an ancient galaxy, named SPT0418–47, which appeared remarkably mature despite the universe being just over 2 billion years old. It featured a rotating disk, a bulging center, and a dense collection of stars, challenging the conventional views on galactic evolution.

This groundbreaking discovery is reshaping our comprehension of the cosmic evolution of blazars and active galaxies.

~ Nicolás Cardiel, Co-Author of the Study

Section 1.1: The Rarest Class of Gamma-Ray Galaxies

In a remarkable turn of events, an international team of astronomers, including researchers from Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain), DESY (Germany), University of California Riverside, and Clemson University (USA), utilized the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC), the largest optical telescope in the world, to identify BL Lacertae — one of the rarest classes of gamma-ray galaxies.

Gamma rays are highly energetic photons typically associated with supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies. When these rays are emitted, the galaxies are classified as active galaxies. The supermassive black holes consume surrounding matter, ejecting violent jets of matter and radiation, including gamma rays.

However, less than 1% of these jets are directed towards Earth, which is what astronomers have been able to detect. These powerful radiation sources are known as Blazars, which are categorized into two distinct groups: BL Lacertae (BL Lac) and flat-spectrum radio-quasars (FSRQs).

Subsection 1.1.1: Understanding Blazars

“In essence, BL Lacs may signify the older, evolved stages of a blazar's lifecycle, while FSRQs represent its youthful phase.”

~ Vaidehi Paliya, Researcher

FSRQs refer to relatively younger galaxies abundant in gas and dust. As these galaxies evolve and their black holes consume surrounding material, they transition into BL Lacs, representing older or more mature galaxies. For context, the most distant FSRQ was observed when the universe was around one billion years old, whereas the furthest BL Lac was discovered from a time when the universe was 2.5 billion years old.

The newly identified BL Lac, known as 4FGL J1219.0+3653, predates the previous record holder by 800 million years, indicating its existence when the universe was just 1.7 billion years old. This incredible discovery, made using the OSIRIS and EMIR instruments, significantly enriches our understanding of the cosmic evolution of blazars and active galaxies.

Complete research findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Chapter 2: The Video Insights

This video explores the discovery of the universe's oldest and farthest black hole, shedding light on its implications for cosmic science.

Dive into the details of the oldest black hole discovered, dating back to just 470 million years after the Big Bang, and what this means for our understanding of the cosmos.

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