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The Early Universe Should Be Awash in Active Galaxies, but JWST Isn't Finding Them


Astronomers have found supermassive black holes in the centers of most galaxies. To get the black holes we see today, they must have been feeding in the past, packing on the mass to grow so big. But, a recent survey with JWST failed to turn up as many active galactic nuclei as astronomers expected. This just deepens the mystery. How did mature galaxies like the Milky Way get their black holes if they didn't go through this feeding period?

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