Chris Willott

Astronomers using the spectroscope aboard JWST have, for the first time, measured the amount of dust around a distant black hole. Dust, like fog, dims its light, but the main surprise is that the black hole fluoresces, revealing the secrets of its rapid growth.

The 'Sleepy' galaxy in the early universe furiously gave birth to stars, but after 300 million years it fell asleep. A record-breaking hydrogen dip in its glow showed that not all bright early galaxies become giants—some doze off and turn into dwarfs.

Using a gravitational lens — a massive cluster of galaxies bending light — the James Webb Space Telescope detected two red dots in a distant galaxy. These are intermediate-mass black holes, located not in the center but on the outskirts. The discovery suggests such invisible objects might be widespr