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Mirage or miracle? JWST finds earliest known ‘black hole star’ at cosmic dawn

Astronomers have discovered the earliest known 'black hole star,' which may explain how billion-solar-mass black holes formed in the early Universe. The object, dubbed MoM-BH*-1, exhibits properties normally associated with stars, resolving a long-standing challenge in understanding mysterious 'little red dots'.

SourceInstitute of Science and Technology Austria·JournalNature·TypeObservational study·DateAug 12, 2026

Cosmic blowtorches: How quasars shut down star formation in the early universe

A team at the University of Arizona discovered exceptionally fast and powerful galactic winds from quasars a billion years after the Big Bang. These winds could have caused galaxies to lose gas supplies, effectively shutting down star formation. The study suggests that quasars with extreme outflows were more common in the early univers...

SourceUniversity of Arizona·JournalNature·TypeObservational study·DateMay 7, 2026

Astronomers challenge 50-year-old quasar law

New research reveals the structure of matter surrounding supermassive black holes has changed over cosmic time, challenging a fundamental assumption about their behavior. The study combines new X-ray observations to explore the relation between X-ray and ultraviolet light intensity of an unprecedentedly large sample of quasars.

SourceRoyal Astronomical Society·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateDec 11, 2025

Gemini North teams up with LOFAR to reveal largest radio jet ever seen in the early universe

Scientists have discovered a distant, two-lobed radio jet that spans an astonishing 200,000 light-years at least, twice the width of the Milky Way. The team used a combination of telescopes to detect the jet and measure its properties, including the mass of the quasar producing it.

SourceAssociation of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·DateFeb 6, 2025

DECam confirms that early-universe quasar neighborhoods are indeed cluttered

A new study using the Dark Energy Camera has found that early-universe quasars have surrounding companion galaxies within a distance of 15 million light-years, which is consistent with expectations. However, the team also discovered that there are no companion galaxies within 60 million light-years of the quasar.

International Gemini Observatory and Subaru combine forces to discover first ever pair of merging quasars at cosmic dawn

The International Gemini Observatory and Subaru Telescope have discovered the most distant pair of merging quasars, seen only 900 million years after the Big Bang. The team used follow-up spectroscopy to confirm the nature of the quasar pair and their host galaxies.

SourceAssociation of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·DateJun 17, 2024

'Hunting for treasures' with AI: Astronomers detect rare neutral atomic-carbon absorbers with deep neural network

An international team used deep learning neural networks to identify rare weak signals in quasar spectral data. They discovered 107 extremely rare neutral carbon absorbers, doubling the number of samples found in 2015, and detected more faint signals than before.

SourceChinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateMay 20, 2024

Astronomers detect an extremely red supermassive black hole in the early universe growing in the shadows

A team of astronomers has detected a gravitationally lensed supermassive black hole in the early universe, which was found to be significantly more massive than its host galaxy. The discovery, made using images from the James Webb Space Telescope, revealed the black hole's unique red color and confirmed it as a supermassive black hole.

SourceBen-Gurion University of the Negev·JournalNature·TypeObservational study·DateFeb 26, 2024

Brightest and fastest-growing: astronomers identify record-breaking quasar

The discovery of J0529-4351 reveals the most luminous object in the known Universe, with a mass of 17 billion Suns and an accretion disc seven light-years in diameter. The quasar's brightness surpasses that of 500 trillion Suns, providing valuable insights into supermassive black holes and their role in shaping the early Universe.

SourceESO·JournalNature Astronomy·DateFeb 22, 2024

Gas on the run – ALMA spots the shadow of a molecular outflow from a quasar when the Universe was less than one billion years old

Researchers observed molecular gas outflow from quasar J2054-0005 using ALMA, revealing suppression of star formation in its host galaxy. The findings confirm theoretical predictions and provide strong evidence for powerful molecular gas outflows in early Universe quasars.

SourceHokkaido University·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·TypeObservational study·DateFeb 1, 2024

New red galaxies turn out to be already known blue galaxies

Researchers discover extremely red objects (EROs) in James Webb Space Telescope data that resemble blue-excess dust obscured galaxies (BluDOGs) found in Subaru Telescope data. The similarity suggests EROs and BluDOGs may be at similar stages of evolution, with a larger sample needed to confirm the relationship.

SourceNational Institutes of Natural Sciences·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·TypeObservational study·DateDec 14, 2023

Black holes eat faster than previously expected

A Northwestern University study reveals that black holes devour gas at a much faster rate than previously believed. The simulations indicate that the inner regions of the accretion disk are destroyed and replenished, explaining the drastic variation in quasars' brightness and fading patterns.

SourceNorthwestern University·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateSep 20, 2023

Dark matter halos measured around ancient quasars

A team of researchers from the University of Tokyo has measured dark matter halo masses around ancient quasars, finding a consistent mass of about 10 trillion times the mass of our sun. This discovery suggests a characteristic DMH mass that activates quasars regardless of time period.

SourceUniversity of Tokyo·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·TypeObservational study·DateSep 11, 2023

An X-ray look at the heart of powerful quasars

A team of astronomers has observed the most luminous quasar in 9 billion years, shedding light on its interaction with its environment. The study found that the quasar's black hole is growing at a rate of 100 solar masses per year and emitting powerful winds into the host galaxy.

SourceRoyal Astronomical Society·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateMay 19, 2023

Astronomers reveal the largest cosmic explosion ever seen

The explosion, known as AT2021lwx, is more than ten times brighter than any known supernova and has lasted for nearly three years, compared to most supernovae which are only visibly bright for a few months. The researchers believe that the explosion is a result of a vast cloud of gas being violently disrupted by a supermassive black hole.

SourceUniversity of Southampton·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateMay 11, 2023

Astronomers solve the 60-year mystery of quasars – the most powerful objects in the Universe

Scientists have discovered that quasars are ignited by galaxies crashing together, a process that drives gas towards supermassive black holes and releases extraordinary amounts of energy. This finding provides a significant step forward in understanding how these powerful objects are triggered and fuelled.

SourceUniversity of Sheffield·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·TypeImaging analysis·DateApr 25, 2023

Tracing 13 billion years of history by the light of ancient quasars

Researchers studying ancient quasars have discovered a rapid increase in warm carbon around 13 billion years ago, potentially linked to the 'Epoch of Reionisation' and large-scale heating of gas. This finding provides new insights into the evolution of the universe's chemical composition.

SourceARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3D (ASTRO 3D)·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·TypeObservational study·DateMar 6, 2023