The success of this discovery cannot be separated from the key role of NASA’s two space telescopes, namely the James Webb and Chandra observatories. James Webb, known as the most advanced space telescope, played a vital role in discovering the galaxy UHZ-1 which is very far out there.
His ability to “look back in time” opens a window into cosmic events in the early stages of the universe. Meanwhile, the Chandra observatory, which has operated for a quarter of a century since its launch in 1999, has proven itself to be a very sensitive instrument to X-rays, even 100 times fainter than previous X-ray telescopes.
Two weeks of intensive observations with the help of Chandra revealed the presence of intense and very hot X-ray emitting gas in the galaxy UHZ-1. This characteristic is a sign of the existence of a developing supermassive black hole.
The importance of this observation is further strengthened by the use of the gravitational lensing effect, a phenomenon in which the gravitational field of a large object magnifies and distorts light from objects behind it. By exploiting this effect, the researchers succeeded in magnifying the infrared signal detected by James Webb, allowing Chandra to detect faint X-ray sources.
The collaboration of these two telescopes opens a new page in our understanding of supermassive black holes in the early era of the universe.
2023-11-08 13:00:35
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