And even more quesitons as we learn more about the wonders of our universe.
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Cool read, thanks Mitche! It’s pretty spectacular that supermassive black holes actually limit the rate of star formation with all the energy they pour forth, exciting gas and dust so it’s too warm to collapse into stars. (Cool book about that by Caleb Scharf). Thanks for saving some of that raw matter for future generations, black holes! Direct-collapse black holes are also pretty exciting, definitely not what they were anticipating.
Another explanation I’ve heard for the discrepancy of stellar mass in these young galaxies comes from Dr. Becky. The models used to estimate stellar mass are based on brightness and spectrum, and those models have mostly been built off the more local universe. Those local galaxies are older, with more evolved and complex star populations. Because they’re so early in the study of these super red-shifted young/early galaxies, the only option available is to apply the models we’ve developed from the more local galaxies, which may not accurately represent the low-metallicity, higher-mass stars that are likely making up the early galaxies.