Galaxy J0148-4214 contains three active black holes

Astronomers have identified three active black holes within a single distant galaxy, J0148-4214, marking the first time such a configuration has been detected in the distant universe. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers observed the high-speed rotation of hydrogen in accretion disks to calculate the masses and consumption rates of the black holes.

The galaxy is located approximately 12.5 billion light-years from Earth, meaning it is being observed as it existed less than 1.3 billion years after the Big Bang. Two of the black holes are located at the center of the galaxy, separated by about 620 light-years. The largest possesses a mass nearly 80 million times that of the Sun, while a second, smaller black hole with 600,000 solar masses is undergoing rapid growth.

Led by Hannah Übler of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, the study published in Astronomy & Astrophysics suggests that processes in the early universe were highly efficient at bringing massive black holes into close proximity, potentially leading to future mergers.