Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Science and Technology | Space
Why in News?
- The object is designated as MoM-BH-1*, existed just 660 million years after the Big Bang.
- Identified by - Astronomers (led by MIT researchers) during the Mirage or Miracle (MoM) survey.
- At first glance, the object resembles an enormous star roughly the size of our solar system.
- However, it shines 100 billion times brighter than any normal star could physically generate through nuclear fusion.
- Internal Structure - The object consists of a central supermassive black hole (roughly 100,000 to 1 million solar masses) wrapped inside an ultra-dense, turbulent cocoon of hydrogen gas.
- Gas vs. Dust Reddening - Astronomers typically assume that such deeply reddened cosmic objects are obscured by heavy concentrations of cosmic dust.
- Spectral Anomaly- MoM-BH*-1 displayed an exceptionally deep Balmer break (a sharp drop in light intensity across specific wavelengths) along with unique hydrogen absorption features that ruled out ordinary stellar populations.
- The Findings - Modeling revealed that the object contains very little dust.
- Instead, the extreme density of the surrounding hydrogen gas itself absorbs, scatters, and re-emits the radiation from the central black hole, creating the deep red, compact appearance without requiring large amounts of dust.
- Missing Link - Since its launch, JWST has baffled astronomers with images of mysterious, compact "little red dots" (LRDs) in the early universe.
- Pure Signature - MoM-BH*-1 acts as a "naked" template—because its emission completely outshines its host galaxy, it confirms that LRDs are likely growing black holes encased in dense gas cocoons rather than dust-heavy galaxies.
Reference
The Hindu | Unusual blackhole
