James Webb Space Telescope Watches 'Jekyll and Hyde' Galaxy Shapeshift Into a Cosmic Monster

James Webb Space Telescope watches 'Jekyll and Hyde' galaxy shapeshift into a cosmic monster

"Virgil has two personalities, its 'good' side – a typical young galaxy quietly forming stars. But Virgil transforms into the host of a heavily obscured supermassive black hole, pouring out immense quantities of energy."

The JWST Found A Jekyll-and-Hyde Galaxy In The Early Universe

In a glimpse of the early universe, astronomers have observed a galaxy as it appeared just 800 million years after the Big Bang – a cosmic Jekyll and Hyde that looks like any other galaxy when viewed in visible and even ultraviolet light but transforms into a cosmic beast when observed at infrared wavelengths. This object, dubbed Virgil, is forcing astronomers to reconsider their understanding of how supermassive black holes grew in the infant u…