DESI Discovers Thousands of Black Holes in Dwarf Galaxies

NSF NOIRLab's Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) has identified approximately 2,500 dwarf galaxies hosting active galactic nuclei (AGN), marking the largest sample ever discovered. This finding suggests a substantial number of previously overlooked low-mass black holes. Additionally, DESI data revealed 300 intermediate-mass black hole candidates, the most extensive collection to date. The instrument, mounted on the Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope in Arizona, captures light from 5,000 galaxies simultaneously. The study, led by Ragadeepika Pucha from the University of Utah, analyzed spectra from 410,000 galaxies, including 115,000 dwarf galaxies. The increased number of identified black holes allows for more precise predictions regarding the fraction of galaxies hosting them. The discovery helps scientists understand how black holes form and evolve within galaxies.