The oldest known black hole is estimated to be around 13.8 billion years old. This age corresponds to the time when the Universe itself is thought to have formed based on observations of the cosmic microwave background radiation. The age of the Universe is often considered synonymous with the age of the oldest black holes.
One notable black hole is the one associated with the quasar J0313-1806. Quasars are extremely bright and energetic objects powered by supermassive black holes at their centers. In 2021, astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and other telescopes identified a quasar at a redshift of 7.64, which corresponds to a time when the Universe was only about 670 million years old. The black hole at the center of this quasar is estimated to have a mass of about 1.6 billion times that of the Sun.
It's important to note that our understanding of the oldest black holes is constantly evolving as new observations and discoveries are made. The field of astrophysics is dynamic, and advancements in technology and observational techniques contribute to refining our knowledge of the early Universe and its black hole population.
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