A pair of galaxies whose light has traveled for 8.3 billion years contains what astronomers believe is a supermassive black hole in the act of forming. If this is the case, it is the first time we have seen this process in action, a vital and unprecedented piece of the supermassive black hole formation puzzle.

When the JWST began science observations in July 2022, it flung open a whole new window on the universe. The JWST looked further back in time than any other telescope, and it revealed several surprises.