A recent cosmic census has revealed an unexpected threefold increase in active black holes within dwarf galaxies, creating the most comprehensive database of intermediate-mass black holes recorded to date. The survey, conducted with the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) at the Moyle Telescope in Arizona, identified more than 2,500 black holes in dwarf galaxies – more than three times the number previously estimated. Led by University of Utah astronomer Ragdeepika Pucha, the research team found that black holes actively consume matter in about 2 percent of the approximately 115,000 surveyed dwarf galaxies. Previously, only 0.5 percent of these galaxies were thought to host such black holes.
Middleweight black hole in the universe unveiled
The survey has also increased the number of intermediate-mass black hole candidates – those with masses between 100 and 10 million times that of the Sun. With the identification of nearly 300 new middleweight candidates, the known population has quadrupled from just 70. These findings are important for understanding black hole evolution, as middleweight black holes are viewed as a bridge between stellar-mass black holes, which form from collapsing stars, and supermassive black holes, which often form in large galaxies. Are found in the center of. According to Pucha, this newly documented group of black holes provides clues to how early black holes may have evolved through gradual cosmic mergers.
Insights into galaxy and black hole co-evolution
The unprecedented increase in discovered black holes brings new opportunities to study the relationship between galaxies and the black holes within them. As the study’s co-author, Dr. Stephanie Juneau of NOIRLab, says, this discovery raises fundamental questions about the evolution of galaxies and their black holes. It is not clear whether galaxies formed first, black holes formed later, or whether black holes gave rise to galaxy growth.
The future of cosmic exploration with DESI
DESI’s findings open new chapters in understanding galactic evolution. Expected to release more detailed findings in 2025, the DESI project has already mapped 1.5 million galaxies, creating a massive 3D map that enables astronomers to probe fainter galaxies that have previously not been detailed. Was away from studies. Astrophysicist Mallory Molina of Vanderbilt University, although not directly involved in the study, noted the transformative impact of the data, highlighting DESI’s ability to detect multiple black holes even with basic observational instruments, which could lead to further discoveries. Suggests the potential of.
