NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Uncovers Black Hole Secret
WASHINGTON (AP) — NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has revealed that 87% of infrared emissions from the supermassive black hole in the Circinus Galaxy originate from hot dust on the inner surface of its surrounding torus, according to a study published Jan. 13, 2026, in Nature Communications. Researchers analyzed data from observations in July 2024 and March 2025. The galaxy lies 13 million light-years from Earth.
The findings overturn previous theories that attributed most infrared light to superheated outflows from the black hole, the study said. Less than 1% of the emissions come from such outflows, researchers found. Lead author Enrique Lopez Rodriguez, an associate professor of physics and astronomy at the University of South Carolina, said the telescope's high-resolution infrared imaging enabled the precise identification. "Our observations and models suggest that the preferred component (of infrared light) is the heated dust in the funnel, making up the inner surface of the donut-shaped ring around the black hole," Lopez Rodriguez said in the study, as reported by USA Today on Jan. 17, 2026.
Previous telescopes detected excess infrared from the Circinus black hole but lacked the resolution to distinguish sources, according to the paper. JWST's instruments separated the torus's inner surface from outflows, confirming dust heating as the dominant factor. Models in the study supported this dominance. The Circinus Galaxy hosts an active galactic nucleus, where the black hole accretes material, producing intense emissions.
Astronomers have linked these results to broader JWST discoveries about black hole growth. The telescope has identified "little red dots" since late 2022, which researchers now describe as young supermassive black holes disguised as fiery spheres, according to a Penn State University summary released Sept. 14, 2025. These objects, powered by central black holes, may explain the rapid formation of massive black holes in the early universe, the summary said.
A separate model proposes a "black hole feeding frenzy" where early black hole seeds rapidly accreted gas and dust, resolving JWST observations of unexpectedly massive black holes before the universe reached 1 billion years old, according to a 2026 study by researchers including Jenny Regan and Akshat Mehta, as reported by Space.com. Standard formation models struggled to account for such quick growth, the report said.
JWST's UNCOVER survey in the galaxy cluster Abell 2744 identified 83 young, low-mass starburst galaxies, with images showing 20 examples, according to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center data released June 11, 2025. These galaxies may have driven cosmic reionization by clearing neutral hydrogen fog through intense star formation, NASA said. "Tiny but mighty galaxy helped clear cosmic fog," NASA stated in its summary.
The discoveries challenge existing models of black hole accretion, growth and early galaxy formation, researchers said across multiple studies. JWST observations of the Circinus black hole provide insights into nearby active nuclei, while high-redshift findings address ancient phenomena, according to sources including Nature Communications and NASA releases.
NASA leads the JWST project in collaboration with the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. The telescope, launched in 2021, has operated for more than four years by 2026. It succeeds the Hubble Space Telescope and specializes in infrared observations of black hole environments.
Experts noted JWST's role in resolving tensions with standard cosmological models, such as the Lambda Cold Dark Matter framework. The early massive black holes observed by JWST appeared to form faster than predicted, prompting new theories like direct-collapse seeds or feeding frenzies, according to Space.com.
The Circinus findings build on prior infrared detections from telescopes like Spitzer, which could not resolve torus versus outflow contributions, the Nature Communications paper said. JWST's sharper images clarified the structure.
Researchers emphasized implications for black hole-galaxy co-evolution. Active galactic nuclei like Circinus influence host galaxies through feedback mechanisms, the study said.
Penn State astronomers tied little red dots to "universe breakers," such as the object nicknamed "The Cliff," cloaked in hydrogen and appearing red in infrared, according to their Sept. 2025 release.
The UNCOVER survey used gravitational lensing from Abell 2744 to magnify distant galaxies, revealing starbursts from the universe's first billion years, NASA said. Studies by Rebekka Bezanson and colleagues in 2024, and Iryna Wold in 2025, detailed the findings.
Consensus among sources indicates JWST consistently uncovers surprises in black hole environments and infrared emissions. No direct contradictions emerged, though focuses differ: Circinus on nearby structures, others on early-universe events.
Future observations may link low-redshift tori like Circinus to high-redshift little red dots, researchers suggested in the studies. JWST continues to fuel debates on modified gravity and dark energy, according to broader astronomy trends reported by Space.com.
The telescope's cost exceeded $10 billion, and it drives discoveries in cosmic reionization and black hole origins, NASA said. Interest grows in next-generation observatories like the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and the Extremely Large Telescope.
Open questions remain on funnel geometry in active galactic nucleus models and exact masses of little red dots, according to the sources.
