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Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

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How Can a Black Hole Be Bigger Than Its Galaxy? Scientists Are Shocked

Astronomy is full of surprises, but sometimes discoveries come along that completely shake our understanding of how the universe works. One such discovery has recently been made using the powerful James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Scientists have found something unexpected—tiny galaxies with unusually massive black holes at their centers. And these findings are forcing astronomers to rethink long-standing ideas about galaxy formation.

The Usual Rule: Small Galaxy, Small Black Hole

For many years, astronomers have observed a clear pattern in the universe. The bigger a galaxy is, the bigger its central supermassive black hole (SMBH) tends to be. Typically, a black hole makes up only a tiny fraction of its galaxy’s mass—around 0.1% to 0.5%.

This relationship helped scientists build models of how galaxies grow over time. The assumption was simple: galaxies and their black holes grow together in a balanced way.

But new observations from the JWST are challenging that idea.

A Discovery That Breaks the Rules

A recent study led by Eduardo Iani has identified two unusual dwarf galaxies named Pelias and Neleus. These galaxies are located at what astronomers call intermediate redshifts, meaning they are not extremely ancient but still quite far away.

What makes them extraordinary is their central black holes.

Instead of following the usual rule, these black holes may contain up to 60% of the total mass of their galaxies. This is an astonishing difference compared to the typical 0.1%–0.5%.

In simple terms, these black holes are far too big for their galaxies—they shouldn’t exist according to current models.

Two Faces of the Same Galaxy

When scientists observed Pelias and Neleus using different instruments on the JWST, they found something puzzling.

In ultraviolet and optical light, the galaxies appear normal. They look like young, low-mass starburst galaxies, meaning they are actively forming new stars. These galaxies are bright blue, contain little dust, and are full of energetic young stars.

But when viewed in the mid-infrared range using JWST’s MIRI instrument, the story changes.

The galaxies show an unexpected excess of infrared radiation—far more than what stars alone can produce.

Hidden Monsters: Active Galactic Nuclei

The most likely explanation for this extra energy is the presence of an active galactic nucleus (AGN)—a region at the center of a galaxy where a black hole is actively feeding on surrounding material.

As matter falls into the black hole, it heats up and emits enormous amounts of energy, especially in the infrared.

However, there’s a twist.

AGN usually emit strong X-rays, but in this case, no X-rays have been detected. This suggests that the black holes may be hidden behind thick clouds of dust, or they might be behaving in an unusual way.

Super-Eddington Growth: Breaking Another Limit

To explain these massive black holes, scientists believe a process called Super-Eddington accretion may be at work.

Normally, there is a limit—called the Eddington limit—on how fast a black hole can grow. If it accretes matter too quickly, radiation pressure pushes material away, slowing the growth.

But in Super-Eddington accretion, black holes break this limit and grow extremely fast. This could allow them to become very massive before their host galaxies have time to grow.

This idea helps explain why these small galaxies contain such oversized black holes.

Among the Smallest AGN Hosts Ever Found

Pelias and Neleus are not just unusual—they are among the smallest galaxies ever discovered to host active black holes.

Their stellar masses are extremely low, placing them at the extreme end of dwarf galaxies known to contain AGN. This makes them important objects for understanding how black holes form and evolve in small systems.

A Possible Link to “Little Red Dots”

Interestingly, these galaxies may be related to a newly discovered class of objects known as Little Red Dots (LRDs).

LRDs are compact, distant galaxies with unusual light signatures. Scientists think they may also contain rapidly growing black holes hidden behind thick dust.

Pelias and Neleus could be closer, easier-to-study versions of these mysterious objects, giving astronomers a valuable opportunity to learn more about them.

What This Means for Galaxy Evolution

The discovery of these galaxies suggests something important:

👉 Black holes may grow before their galaxies fully form.

This is a major shift from traditional thinking, where both were believed to grow together.

If confirmed, it means that black holes could play a more active role in shaping galaxies than previously thought—not by anchoring them, but by influencing their early development.

What Comes Next?

As exciting as this discovery is, it raises many new questions:

  • How common are such galaxies?

  • Are these extreme cases, or part of a larger population?

  • How exactly do these black holes grow so fast?

To find answers, astronomers will rely on other powerful tools, including:

  • The Chandra X-ray Observatory to search for hidden X-ray signals

  • The upcoming Athena mission for deeper insights

  • The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array for studying dust and gas

  • The future Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope for large-scale surveys

These instruments will help scientists determine whether galaxies like Pelias and Neleus are rare exceptions—or a common stage in galaxy evolution.

Conclusion: A Universe Full of Surprises

The discovery of overmassive black holes in tiny galaxies is a powerful reminder that the universe still holds many secrets. Thanks to the JWST, astronomers are now seeing the cosmos in ways never before possible.

Pelias and Neleus may just be the beginning.

As we continue to explore deeper into space, we may find that the universe doesn’t always follow the rules we once believed—and that’s what makes it so fascinating.

Reference: E. Iani et al, JWST Reveals Two Overmassive Black Hole Candidates in Dwarf Galaxies at z ≈ 0.7: Pushing Black Hole Searches into the Dwarf-Galaxy Regime, arXiv (2026). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2603.17967

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