50 Billion Solar Mass Black Hole Discovered in Distant Galaxy A402-BCG

Astronomers have discovered one of the most massive black holes ever found. The object resides in the galaxy A402-BCG, located about 4.4 billion light-years from Earth. Its mass is estimated at roughly 50 billion times that of the Sun.

Telescopes reveal bright source and dark cavity

The discovery was made using the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope. At the galaxy's center, researchers observed a bright pointlike source and a kiloparsec-wide dark region to the east. The bright source is attributed to the ultramassive black hole.

The team also identified a huge cavity in the galaxy. According to astronomers, this cavity may indicate the presence of a second supermassive black hole at the center of A402-BCG. That possibility has not been confirmed.

The findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. The black hole is among the most massive ever recorded, though further observations are needed to confirm the potential second black hole.