Astronomers have confirmed the most distant black hole ever detected, residing in galaxy CAPERS-LRD-z9, 500 million years after the Big Bang. This discovery, using data from the James Webb Space Telescope, provides insights into the early universe. The black hole, up to 300 million times the mass of our sun, is unusually large for its age and is located within a 'Little Red Dot' galaxy, a newly identified class of compact, red, and surprisingly bright galaxies. This finding challenges existing models of black hole formation and evolution, suggesting they may have grown faster or started larger than previously believed.

Prepared by Olivia Bennett and reviewed by editorial team.