Strange Object Hidden in Dust May Be What Forms Before a Supermassive Black Hole

A team of researchers poring over archival data from the Hubble Space Telescope found an ancient object they believe may explain how quasars — supermassive black holes surrounded by jet-spewing discs of matter — emerge from dusty “starburst” galaxies.The vast object is called GNz7q, and it existed when the universe was just 750 million years old, about 13 billion years ago. GNz7q is shrouded in dust, so researchers still aren’t sure what it is. But based on current