The European Space Agency's Euclid space telescope has discovered 31 of the most ancient quasars ever found, including two that are the earliest such objects yet observed in cosmic history. These cosmic powerhouses, each shining with the light of a trillion suns, represent galaxy cores driven by supermassive black holes.
These findings push back the timeline of quasar formation to just 670 million years after the Big Bang—a mere 5% of the universe's current age. The discovery provides astronomers with a rare window into the early cosmos, when galaxies and black holes were first forming.
Two of the 31 quasars are the most distant and ancient ever detected. Their immense brightness suggests gargantuan black holes at their centers, each feeding on surrounding matter and emitting tremendous amounts of energy across vast cosmic distances.
The results could reshape theories of how supermassive black holes grew so rapidly after the Big Bang. Future studies with Euclid and other observatories may uncover even more distant quasars, further illuminating the universe's infancy.
Euclid's ability to spot these ancient objects demonstrates its power as a deep-field surveyor, complementing telescopes like Webb in probing the early universe.