Big Black Holes, Bigger Problems — Mysteries from the Dawn of Time to Our Own Backdoor

Speaker: Erini Lambrides, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Post-doctoral Fellow

There is a massive black hole in the center of almost every galaxy. How did it get there, and importantly, how does it grow? Answers to these seemingly innocuous questions have huge implications for our understanding of the evolution of the entire cosmos. These massive black holes may be the ultimate movers-and-shakers of the Universe. Despite their importance, fundamental gaps in our knowledge remain about their formation, growth, and impact on the environments that surround them. In this Deep Space Dialogue, I will discuss what new JWST data is driving the biggest tensions in our understanding of the black hole phenomenon, and what this might mean for the evolution of galaxies across cosmic time.

This lecture will be presented with a livestream to YouTube, and questions can be asked in the YouTube chat. The recording will also be posted on our YouTube channel.