![An illustration of a quasar emitting exceptionally bright light as matter falls into its maw.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/G599GDSu6QdZ8uavTGk6ti-320-80.jpg)
They calculated that the average mass ratio of quasar to galaxy was 1:10, compared with 1:1,000 for younger supermassive black holes in the nearby universe. But the explanation for why these ancient black holes are so massive isn’t immediately apparent.
“One of the big questions is to understand how those monster black holes could grow so big, so fast,” Yue said.
A standard black hole forms when a star runs out of fuel and undergoes gravitational collapse, triggering a supernova. The resulting black hole then gradually consumes material throughout its lifetime, growing over time.
“These black holes are billions of times more massive than the sun, at a time when the universe is still in its infancy,” study co-author Anna-Christina Eilers, an assistant professor of physics at MIT, said in the statement. “Black holes in the early universe seem to be growing faster than their host galaxies.”