Secrets of one of the oldest known galaxies revealed by the James Webb Space Telescope
Two articles, one published in the journal “Nature” and one accepted for publication in the journal “Astronomy & Astrophysics”, report different aspects of a study of the galaxy GN-z11, one of the most distant known, which revealed the presence of the most distant and ancient black hole found so far. A team of researchers led by Roberto Maiolino of the University of Cambridge used the James Webb Space Telescope to examine GN-z11 finding traces of the activity of the supermassive black hole at its center. Those traces indicate that it’s devouring surrounding materials at a remarkable speed. Spectroscopic analyzes showed the presence of a clump of helium in the halo surrounding GN-z11 and no heavy elements, suggesting that first-generation stars may form in that halo.
