Astronomers Discover Largest Black Hole Jet from Early Universe

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Astronomers recently identified a colossal black hole jet that originated when the universe was less than 1.2 billion years old, representing roughly 9% of its current age. The jet, which spans 200,000 light-years—twice the width of the Milky Way—is the largest of its kind observed from such an early period, according to Anniek Gloudemans, a postdoctoral research fellow at the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab.

The jet emanates from a quasar named J1601+3102, which has a mass of 450 million times that of the Sun and is located approximately 10 to 13 billion light-years from Earth. Previous observations had failed to spot such massive jets in the distant universe due to intense cosmic microwave background radiation that obscured them. This latest discovery indicates that black hole jets exist in the early universe, challenging previous assumptions about black hole behavior.

Future telescope observations are anticipated to reveal additional similar discoveries, aiding astronomers in understanding the role black hole jets played in the early evolution of galaxies.

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