Space telescopes stumble on rule-breaking black hole

Context: An international team of researchers using NASA’s James Webb Space
Telescope (JWST) and the Chandra X-ray Observatory has discovered a bizarre
black hole that may provide insights into the genesis and growth of
supermassive black holes. LID-568 is a low-mass supermassive black hole that
existed just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang. An analysis of its effects
on its neighbourhood has indicated that it was feeding on a surrounding cloud
of matter at almost 40 times greater than what astrophysicists calculated.

Black holes

·       About: Black holes are
formed after the supernova explosion when the core of a massive dying star more
than 2.5 times the mass of the Sun collapses until an infinite density where
gravity is so high that even light cannot escape. Predicted by Einstein, its
theoretical structure was prepared independently by Tolman, Oppenheimer,
Volkoff and S. Chandrasekhar.

·       Types
of Black Holes: They are of different types, primarily based on
their mass and the process of their formation.

Ø  Stellar Black
Holes - These are often identified by observing the high-energy phenomena that
occur as they interact with other stars or accrete matter from their
surroundings.

Ø  Supermassive
Black Holes - They play a crucial role in the formation and evolution of galaxies,
influencing star formation and galaxy dynamics.

Ø  Intermediate
Black Holes - They are of great interest to astronomers as they could provide a
missing link in our understanding of black hole evolution.

Ø  Primordial Black
Holes - They could offer insights into the conditions of the early universe and
the nature of dark matter.

·       Significance
of Black Hole: They have a significant role in various aspects of
astrophysics and astronomy. These include-

Ø  Insights into
Stellar evolution - The formation and evolution of stellar black holes
offer valuable information about the life cycles of massive stars and supernova
mechanics.

Ø  Galaxy dynamics
and evolution - Supermassive black holes at the centres of galaxies significantly
influence the dynamics and evolution of their host galaxies, affecting star
formation rates and the distribution of matter.

Ø  Gravitational
wave astronomy - The merging of black holes is a primary source of gravitational waves,
offering a new way to observe and understand the universe, complementing
traditional electromagnetic observations.

Ø  Testing quantum
mechanics - The study of black holes, particularly the information paradox,
challenges and refines our understanding of quantum mechanics.