Astronomers are investigating a massive, dark object, located approximately 11 billion light-years away, which continues to present challenges to current scientific understanding. Discovered in 2025 via its gravitational influence, this object is the most distant body ever detected solely through its gravitational effects.
Key Characteristics
- The object possesses a mass equivalent to 1 million suns.
- Its inner central part is consistent with a black hole or dense stellar core, comprising about a quarter of its total mass.
- Beyond the center, the object's density flattens into a large, disk-like component, a structure previously unobserved by scientists. This structure suggests it could represent a new class of dark object.
Investigation and Methodology
The object was identified within the gravitational lens system JVAS B1938+666. Gravitational lensing, a phenomenon predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity, allows observation of distant objects and provides data on mass distribution within lensing systems.
A team of astronomers attempted to reconstruct the mass distribution of the object, revealing its density profile. This process was complex due to the JVAS B1938+666 system containing multiple massive bodies, with the primary component being a massive elliptical galaxy. Unlike other components, the newly identified object is completely invisible.
Simona Vegetti of the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics stated that separating the different mass components of such a distant, low-mass object using gravitational lensing was extremely challenging.
Current Findings and Future Outlook
Initial investigations, including analysis of disturbances in the gravitational arc of JVAS B1938+666 and comparison with dark matter models, indicate that existing models cannot fully explain the object's properties.
Davide Massari of the National Institute for Astrophysics noted its unique density profile, characterized by an extremely compact center that extends to distances greater than those typically observed in galaxies or star systems of comparable mass.
Future studies may utilize telescopes operating in other wavelengths, such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Cristiana Spingola suggested that if light emission in the visible or infrared range is detected, it could indicate an anomalous ultracompact dwarf galaxy with an extended stellar halo. Conversely, a continued absence of observable starlight or visible matter would imply properties difficult to explain with current dark matter models.