This black hole consumes material 40 times faster than previously thought possible

The big picture: Numerous mysteries remain regarding black holes, with astronomers particularly interested in the formation of the oldest black holes in the early universe. Recent observations from the James Webb Space Telescope could shed light on how supermassive black holes began forming so quickly after the Big Bang.

A recently published study describes an ancient black hole that eats matter far faster than previously thought possible. The discovery could offer a clue as to how supermassive black holes formed in the early universe.

The black hole, labeled LID-568, was discovered using the James Webb Telescope and data from the Chandra-COSMOS Legacy Survey. At about 7.2 million times the Sun's mass, it's considered a relatively low-mass black hole.