James Webb Space Telescope weighs 'sleeping giant' black hole from 10 billion light-years away — and it's 6 billion times our sun's mass

Astronomers have successfully measured the mass of a dormant supermassive black hole located 10 billion light-years from Earth. By utilizing the advanced capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope, the research team was able to determine that this massive object is roughly 6 billion times heavier than our own sun. The observation relied on the phenomenon of gravitational lensing, a concept originally proposed by Albert Einstein, which allowed the telescope to magnify the distant light. This "sleeping giant" is currently in a state of inactivity, meaning it is not actively consuming surrounding matter. The findings provide a rare glimpse into the characteristics of ancient celestial bodies formed in the early universe. Scientists believe this data will be instrumental in understanding how such massive structures evolved over cosmic time.

This discovery offers critical insights into the growth and behavior of supermassive black holes in the early universe, helping researchers refine models of galactic evolution.