Oldest black hole discovered dating back to 470 million years after the Big Bang

By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Scientists have discovered the oldest black hole yet, formed a mere 470 million years after the Big Bang. The findings, published Monday, confirm what until now were theories that supermassive black holes existed at the dawn of the universe. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and Chandra X-Ray Observatory teamed up for the observations. Given the universe is 13.7 billion years old, that puts the age of this black hole at 13.2 billion years. It’s 10 times bigger than the black hole in our Milky Way. Scientists say what’s astounding is that it’s such a behemoth so early in the universe.