Astronomers have just found something amazing in the early universe: a gigantic jet shot out by a black hole, and it’s twice as long as our Milky Way galaxy! This jet stretches an incredible 200,000 light-years, even though it comes from a black hole that isn’t actually that big for a quasar.
A Super-Long Jet from Quasar J1601+3102
This massive jet comes from a quasar called J1601+3102, which has a black hole with a mass about 450 million times that of the Sun. Even though that sounds huge, it’s actually considered small compared to other supermassive black holes typically found in quasars.
According to Anniek Gloudemans, the lead researcher from NOIRLab, this discovery is surprising because scientists previously thought only the biggest black holes could produce such enormous jets. This means there must be other factors that allow such powerful jets to form in the early universe.
What Is a Quasar and How Are Jets Formed?
A quasar is a super-bright galactic core powered by a supermassive black hole that’s actively feeding on surrounding material. As this material swirls around in an accretion disk before falling into the black hole, some particles get accelerated to near the speed of light and shoot out as jets from the black hole’s poles.
These jets emit radio waves that can be detected by telescopes on Earth. But so far, massive jets like the one from J1601+3102 have been hard to find in the early universe, which was only 1.2 billion years old when this jet formed.
How Did Scientists Discover It?
Astronomers first spotted this jet using the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) radio telescope in Europe. They then confirmed their findings with the Gemini Near-Infrared Spectrograph (GNIRS) and attempted to observe it in visible light using the Hobby Eberly Telescope.
Interestingly, the jet isn’t symmetrical. One lobe is longer and brighter than the other, likely influenced by the environment around the black hole. This mystery is something scientists are eager to solve.
What’s Next?
Researchers still want to learn more about this quasar, including how fast its black hole is consuming matter. This study could provide crucial insights into how black holes and their surrounding galaxies evolved in the early universe.
This discovery was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on February 6, 2025. We’ll be waiting for more updates from the scientists.
| Object Name | Quasar J1601+3102 |
| Discovery Method | Combination of radio, infrared, and optical telescopes |
| First Detection | LOFAR Telescope (Low Frequency Array) |
| Follow-up Observations | Gemini Near-Infrared Spectrograph (GNIRS), Hobby Eberly Telescope |
| Telescope Locations | Europe (LOFAR), Gemini North (Hawaii), CTIO (Chile) |
| Constellation | Corona Borealis |
| Category | Quasars and Black Holes |
| Image ID | noirlab2506c |
| Release Date | February 6, 2025, 9 a.m. |
| Survey Contribution | DECam Legacy Survey (DECaLS) for imaging |
| Camera Used | Dark Energy Camera (DECam) |
| Main Institution | NSF NOIRLab (National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory) |
| Observation Wavelengths | Radio (144 MHz), Optical (926 nm) |
| Radio Telescope Used | International LOFAR |
| Optical Telescope Used | Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope (CTIO) |
| Position (RA, Dec) | 16h 1m 49.60s, +31° 2′ 4.20″ |
| Image Sizes | 2424 x 2424 px (Fullsize), Various JPEG sizes available |
| Image Credit | LOFAR/DECaLS/DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys/LBNL/DOE/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA |
| Contact Info | NOIRLab, Tucson, AZ, USA (+1 520 318 8000) |