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The Quasar J043947.08+163415.7 emits incredibly powerful light beyond the universe. Image: ESA/Hubble/PA.
Astronomers made the discovery of the celestial object J043947.08+163415.7 using the Keck Observatory, the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii, and the Hubble Space Telescope, as reported by Futurism on January 9. This object is a quasar, an extremely luminous galactic nucleus powered by a supermassive black hole.
J043947.08+163415.7 is situated approximately 12.8 billion light-years away from Earth. It is the brightest quasar known to have formed during the early stages of the universe and is 600 trillion times brighter than the Sun, marking an extraordinary find in human observation.
“We did not expect to find many quasars (star-like objects) brighter than it across the observable universe,” remarked Xiaohui Fan, an astronomy professor at the University of Arizona. Fan and colleagues discovered J043947.08+163415.7 due to a galaxy that lies in the path between this celestial object and Earth. During this alignment, gravitational lensing significantly amplified the quasar’s light.
This newfound celestial object is not only remarkable for its brightness but also offers valuable insights into the influence of massive black holes on star formation during the early universe. J043947.08+163415.7 also enables astronomers to confirm a long-standing hypothesis and paves the way for future research.
“This is a significant and surprising discovery. For decades, we thought such lensed quasars were quite common in the early universe. However, this is the first of its kind that we have found. It provides us with a clue on how to find ‘ghost quasars,’ objects out there that have not yet been detected,” shared Fabio Pacucci, an expert from Yale University.