James Webb Telescope Captures Five-Galaxy Merger Early Universe

Recent astronomical discoveries have shed new light on black holes and galaxy formations in the early universe. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers identified JWST's Quintet, a rare system of five galaxies merging about 800 million years after the Big Bang, providing insights into early cosmic structures (Article 1). Additionally, the telescope uncovered a "naked" primordial black hole, QSO1, dating back to just 700 million years after the Big Bang, which challenges existing theories by suggesting black holes may have formed before galaxies (Article 2). Complementing these findings, the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration has released data doubling the known number of black hole and neutron star collisions, enhancing our understanding of gravitational waves and cosmic events (Article 4). Meanwhile, a newly studied galaxy, LRG 3-757, exhibits gravitational lensing effects and may harbor one of the largest known black holes, estimated at 36 billion solar masses, highlighting the ongoing mystery of ultramassive black holes (Article 5). These findings collectively advance knowledge of black hole formation, galaxy mergers, and cosmic evolution from the earliest epochs to the present.