New findings from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have provided what scientists are calling the "best evidence yet" for the formation of black holes. Using NASA telescopes, researchers have discovered the most distant and oldest black hole ever seen, located in the UHZ1 galaxy 13.2 billion light-years from Earth. This black hole, which formed 470 million years after the big bang, is estimated to have a mass between 10 million and 100 million suns, making it an "outsize black hole."

The images captured by the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the James Webb Space Telescope reveal a stage of black hole growth that has never been seen before. Due to the immense distance between the black hole and Earth, these images provide a glimpse into the past when the universe was only 3% of its current age. The size of the black hole is so massive that its mass is similar to the entire mass of everything within its host galaxy.

The discovery of this black hole in the UHZ1 galaxy has significant implications for understanding the formation of supermassive black holes in the early universe. Previously, there were theories that these massive black holes existed at the dawn of the universe, and now, the findings confirm these theories. Scientists believe that some black holes are formed when massive galactic gas clouds collapse, and the UHZ1 void provides strong evidence for this.

Priyamvada Natarajan, a researcher from Yale University who co-authored the study, explains that this is the first detection of an "Outsize Black Hole" and provides insight into how black holes form from massive clouds of gas. The brightness and energy of the X-rays emitted from the UHZ1 black hole indicate that it was born massive, aligning with the theories of black hole formation from gas clouds.

Andy Goulding, a researcher from Princeton University and another author of the study, compares the growth of black holes to planting a sapling. Black holes that are born more massive have a head start in their growth. This discovery sheds light on how supermassive black holes can reach colossal masses soon after the big bang.

The age and size of the UHZ1 black hole, being 10 times bigger than the one in our Milky Way galaxy, further solidify the understanding of the early universe and the formation of black holes. Black holes are regions in space where an immense amount of mass is packed into a tiny volume, creating a gravitational pull so strong that even light cannot escape.

The combination of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory was instrumental in the detection of this ancient black hole. Researchers used the unique capabilities of these telescopes to capture the X-rays emitted from the UHZ1 black hole, providing invaluable insights into the early stages of black hole growth and the formation of these celestial phenomena in the early universe.