Infinity Galaxy
| Infinity Galaxy | |
|---|---|
_(01JZJK8927VB7900WF3SAGSTFH).png) | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Sextans[1] |
| Right ascension | 10h 00m 27.9s |
| Declination | +02° 12′ 03.5″ |
| Redshift | 1.14 |
| Distance | ~ 8.3 Bly |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | |
| Other designations | |
| |
The Infinity Galaxy (∞ Galaxy) is an interacting galaxy pair observed by James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) as part of COSMOS-Web Survey. The galaxy is named due to its distinctive shape which resembles the Infinity Symbol (∞). The 2025 discovery is credited to astronomers Pieter van Dokkum of Yale University and Gabriel Brammer of the University of Copenhagen. This discovery provides significant insights into galactic mergers and the formation of supermassive black holes, particularly through the direct collapse mechanism.[2][3]
The redshift of the Infinity Galaxy was measured to be z=1.14 (8.3 billion light-years from Earth) by fitting emission lines.[4]
Discovery
[edit]The Infinity Galaxy was identified in 2025 through archival data from JWST's COSMOS-Web survey,[5] a large-scale program designed to map the structure of the early universe. The galaxy's unique morphology was first noted in infrared images captured by JWST's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), with light represented at 0.9 microns (blue), 1.15 and 1.5 microns (green), and 2.0 microns (red). Archival observations of the COSMOS-Web field from the Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO) and the Very Large Array (VLA) and new Keck/LRIS spectra confirmed the presence of an active supermassive black hole between the two nuclei.[1][6]
Structure and morphology
[edit]The Infinity Galaxy is characterized by two compact, red nuclei, each surrounded by a ring of stars and gas, forming a figure-eight (8) or infinity-symbol (∞) shape, from the two ring galaxies. This structure is attributed to a head-on collision of two disk galaxies, which compressed gas clouds and triggered tidal forces, creating the observed rings. The collision is estimated to have occurred approximately 50 million years ago, based on the relative velocities of the galactic remnants.[7]
A vast expanse of ionized hydrogen gas, glowing green in JWST images, lies between the two nuclei, hosting a supermassive black hole. This central black hole, with a mass of approximately 1 million solar masses, is notable for its location outside the galactic nuclei, a rare configuration in galactic mergers.[5][8]
Black holes
[edit]The Infinity Galaxy hosts three active supermassive black holes:
- A central black hole, located between the two nuclei within the ionized gas, with a mass of ~1 million solar masses.[9]
- Two additional black holes, one in each nucleus, indicative of the pre-merger galaxies' central black holes. Both black holes are active galactic nuclei.[9]
The central black hole is of particular interest, as its formation aligns with the direct collapse model, where a massive gas cloud collapses directly into a black hole without forming stars. This is supported by spectroscopic data from JWST, showing the black hole's velocity matches the surrounding gas (within 50 km/s or 30 miles per second). This alignment suggests the black hole formed in situ during the merger, potentially providing the first direct evidence of direct collapse in the early universe.[7]
The central black hole region is a in starburst region and the jets of one of the outer Active Galactic Nuclei is influencing the region.[2]
Significance
[edit]The Infinity Galaxy is a critical case study for several reasons:[10]
- Direct Collapse Evidence: The central black hole's formation supports the direct collapse model, offering insights into how supermassive black holes formed in the early universe, a phenomenon frequently observed by JWST but poorly explained by traditional "light seed" models.
- Galactic Mergers: The galaxy's structure provides a snapshot of merger dynamics, illustrating how collisions shape stellar and gaseous distributions.
- Multi-Black Hole System: The presence of three active supermassive black holes in a single system is rare and offers a natural laboratory for studying black hole interactions.[7][11]
Future research
[edit]Ongoing analysis of JWST's COSMOS-Web data may reveal additional galaxies with similar characteristics, further testing the direct collapse model. Future observations could refine the galaxy's redshift, distance, and detailed composition, enhancing our understanding of its role in cosmic evolution.[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Infinity Galaxy [NIRCam]". Webb Space Telescope. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ a b "NASA's Webb Finds Possible 'Direct Collapse' Black Hole". NASA. 15 July 2025. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ AAS Nova (16 July 2025). "A Candidate Direct-Collapse Black Hole in the Infinity Galaxy". Sky and Telescope.
- ^ van Dokkum, Pieter; Brammer, Gabriel; Baggen, Josephine F. W.; Keim, Michael A.; Natarajan, Priyamvada; Pasha, Imad (2025). "The ∞ Galaxy: A Candidate Direct-collapse Supermassive Black Hole between Two Massive, Ringed Nuclei". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 988 (1): L6. arXiv:2506.15618. Bibcode:2025ApJ...988L...6V. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/addcfe.
- ^ a b c Casey, Caitlin M.; et al. (2022). "COSMOS-Web: An Overview of the JWST Cosmic Origins Survey". The Astrophysical Journal. 954 (1): 31. arXiv:2211.07865. Bibcode:2023ApJ...954...31C. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/acc2bc.
- ^ "James Webb Space Telescope finds rare figure-8 galaxy with a black hole forming at its heart". The Indian Express. 26 July 2025. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ a b c Lea, Robert (16 July 2025). "JWST finds unusual black hole in the center of the Infinity Galaxy: 'How can we make sense of this?'". Space.com. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ Nine, Adrianna (10 July 2025). "Infinity Galaxy or Cosmic Owl? Webb Telescope Catches 2 Ring Galaxies Colliding". Extreme Tech. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ a b Dokkum, Pieter van; Brammer, Gabriel; Jennings, Connor; Pasha, Imad; Baggen, Josephine F. W. (2025-06-18), Further Evidence for a Direct-Collapse Origin of the Supermassive Black Hole at the Center of the Infinity Galaxy, arXiv:2506.15619, retrieved 2025-07-30
- ^ Shelton, Jim (15 July 2025). "To 'Infinity' and beyond — a look at a newborn black hole". Yale News. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ Todd, Iain (16 July 2025). "Remember Webb's 'impossible' black holes? Astronomers may have found the answer in the Infinity Galaxy". BBC Sky at Night. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
External links
[edit]
- Anton Petrov (28 July 2025). Groundbreaking Discovery of the First Ever Direct Collapse Black Hole. Video on YouTube.
- NASA, James Webb Space Telescope
