{"id":619441,"date":"2026-08-04T06:24:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T06:24:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/619441\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T06:24:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T06:24:19","slug":"astronomers-find-ancient-black-holes-shining-with-the-power-of-a-trillion-suns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/619441\/","title":{"rendered":"Astronomers Find Ancient Black Holes Shining With the Power of a Trillion Suns"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Artist\u2019s<\/a>This artist\u2019s impression shows a quasar, a brief, brilliant phase when matter spirals into a galaxy\u2019s central supermassive black hole. In March 2026, ESA\u2019s Euclid telescope found 31 of the oldest known quasars, more than doubling the previous total. Two are record-breakers, shining with the light of a trillion Suns when the Universe was just 670 million years old. Credit: ESA<\/p>\n

Euclid\u2019s expanding quasar census is revealing how enormous black holes emerged during the Universe\u2019s infancy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

More than 13 billion years ago, two brilliant objects blazed from galaxies that had barely begun to take shape. Their light, produced when the Universe was only 670 million years old, has now reached the European Space Agency\u2019s Euclid space telescope.<\/p>\n

The two objects are quasars, intensely bright galactic centers powered by supermassive black holes consuming surrounding matter. Each radiated with the power of roughly a trillion Suns when the cosmos was just 5% of its present age. They are the earliest quasars yet observed and belong to a group of 31 ancient quasars newly identified by Euclid.<\/p>\n

A quasar appears during a relatively short period in a galaxy\u2019s development. Gas and other material spiral toward the supermassive black hole at its center, forming a hot, rapidly moving disk that releases enormous amounts of energy. The resulting glow can be hundreds or thousands of times brighter than all the galaxy\u2019s stars combined.<\/p>\n

Astronomers have searched for the first quasars for decades because they preserve evidence from a formative period in cosmic history. Finding them could help explain how galaxies and supermassive black holes became so large so soon after the Universe began.<\/p>\n

\"Quasars<\/a>This collage shows 15 of 31 quasars discovered by ESA\u2019s Euclid telescope, labeled with their names and redshifts. The two oldest, at upper left, are EUCL J172902.75+641018.1 (z = 7.77) and EUCL J125308.55+705432.3 (z = 7.69). They shone with the light of a trillion Suns when the Universe was just 670 million years old. Credit: ESA\/Euclid\/Euclid Consortium\/NASA, image processing by the Euclid Science Ground Segment and Antoine Basset (CNES)<\/p>\n

The search is difficult because these early objects are uncommon. Few galaxies had enough time to grow massive black holes, and the light reaching Earth is extremely faint after traveling across more than 13 billion light-years. Its appearance can also resemble that of much closer stars, making ancient quasars easy to overlook.<\/p>\n

Euclid expands the quasar census<\/p>\n

Euclid was launched in 2023 with the ability to examine broad areas of the sky while detecting faint infrared light. That combination allowed it to search efficiently through a period of cosmic history that earlier surveys could explore only in fragments.<\/p>\n

The telescope has now identified 31 previously unknown quasars from the early Universe. The sample reaches back to a time when the cosmos had completed only 5% of its present lifespan.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese early quasars date back to the Universe\u2019s infancy,\u201d says Daming Yang of Leiden University in the Netherlands, lead author of the Euclid discovery paper. \u201cBy finding and studying them, we can better understand how these enormous systems formed and grew so quickly \u2013 one of the greatest mysteries in astrophysics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier searches mostly detected the brightest and rarest quasars because those were easiest to distinguish at enormous distances. That left astronomers with too few examples to determine what the wider population looked like.<\/p>\n

\"Location<\/a>This graphic maps 31 quasars discovered by ESA\u2019s Euclid telescope (yellow), its August 2025 survey area (blue), and the two farthest quasars (red): EUCL J172902.75+641018.1 (z = 7.77) on the right and EUCL J125308.55+705432.3 (z = 7.69) on the left. The background is ESA Planck\u2019s 2014 all-sky map, with the bright band marking the Milky Way\u2019s star-filled plane. Credit: ESA\/Euclid\/Euclid Consortium\/NASA\/Planck Collaboration\/A. Mellinger; Acknowledgment: Jean-Charles Cuillandre, Jo\u00e3o Dinis)<\/p>\n

Euclid changes the investigation by detecting fainter objects across much larger regions of sky. Instead of studying only exceptional quasars, astronomers can begin examining a more representative group and asking how common these systems were during the Universe\u2019s earliest stages.<\/p>\n

\u201cEuclid is a true game-changer,\u201d adds Daming. \u201cBefore, we could only find a handful of the very brightest ancient quasars, but Euclid lets us search far more efficiently across huge areas of sky to capture much fainter light. It\u2019s a unique tool for quasar hunting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two quasars set new records<\/p>\n

Among the discoveries are 12 quasars with a redshift of 7 or higher. Redshift describes how the expansion of the Universe stretches light toward longer, redder wavelengths. The greater the redshift, the farther back in time astronomers are looking. A value of 7 or above corresponds to the Universe\u2019s first 770 million years.<\/p>\n

The oldest objects in the group are EUCL J172902.75+641018.1 and EUCL J125308.55+705432.3. Their redshifts are 7.77 and 7.69, respectively, making them the earliest quasars currently known. Both are located slightly more than 13 billion light-years away and were already shining within the first 670 million years of cosmic history.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis finding more than doubles the number of quasars we know of that are so ancient,\u201d says Antonio La Marca, an ESA Research Fellow in the Euclid team. Astronomers needed more than a decade to locate the first 10 or so quasars with redshifts of 7 or higher. Euclid surpassed that total during a single year of observations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Euclid team has taken a true \u2018census\u2019 of quasars at the dawn of the Universe for the first time,\u201d adds Antonio. \u201cIt\u2019s a big step toward understanding these fascinating objects on a more fundamental level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quasars illuminate cosmic dawn<\/p>\n

Silvia Belladitta and collaborators recently examined the second oldest quasar in greater detail. Their observations placed it inside a galaxy rich in gas and dust where stars were forming at an intense rate.<\/p>\n

That environment offers a clue to how an early supermassive black hole and its host galaxy may have grown together. The black hole required a large supply of material to power the quasar, while the surrounding galaxy was simultaneously converting gas into new stars.<\/p>\n

These objects appeared during the epoch of reionization, a major transition in cosmic history. Before this period, the Universe had passed through the \u2018dark ages,\u2019 when much of its hydrogen existed as cold, neutral gas. Energetic light from early stars, galaxies and quasars eventually ionized that gas, meaning it stripped electrons away from atoms (split apart by energetic light). This transformation helped create the transparent, structured cosmos observed today.<\/p>\n

\u201cAncient quasars are rare discoveries. They\u2019re interesting in themselves, but also time machines that enable us to explore the early Universe and understand how the first generation of galaxies came to be,\u201d says ESA Euclid Project Scientist Valeria Pettorino.<\/p>\n

A wider survey awaits<\/p>\n

\u201cEuclid\u2019s capabilities are unrivaled. The telescope combines a large area, depth, sharp imaging, and unique space-based infrared vision in a way that lets us pick out rare, extremely distant objects far more efficiently than before.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s not just the telescope: the data processing is only possible thanks to thousands of Euclid Consortium scientists and engineers working together to deliver scientific discoveries, sifting through enormous datasets to identify rare, distant quasars that we can study further using telescopes on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 31 quasars emerged from the Euclid Wide Survey, which will eventually examine more than one-third of the sky. As Euclid maps billions of galaxies, it is expected to uncover additional quasars alongside evidence about the composition, history, evolution and large-scale structure of the dark Universe.<\/p>\n

References:<\/p>\n

\u201cEuclid: Discovery of 31 new quasars at 6.6 < z < 7.8\u201d by D. Yang, J. F. Hennawi, F. Guarneri, J. Wolf, S. Belladitta, J.-T. Schindler, A. C. N. Hughes, E. Ba\u00f1ados, D. J. Mortlock, J. Yang, F. Wang, X. Fan, K. Jahnke, D. Stern, C. J. Willott, A. J. Barth, H. J. A. Rottgering, R. G. Varadaraj, R. Decarli, A.-C. Eilers, M. Ezziati, Y. Fu, J. Huang, X. Jin, Y. Kang, L. N. Martinez-Ramirez, Y. Matsuoka, M. Onoue, R. Pello, R. P. Remigio, W. L. Tee, B. Venemans, G. Vietri, B. Wang, L. J. Abbo, H. Atek, S. Bisogni, S. E. I. Bosman, R. A. A. Bowler, C. J. Conselice, F. B. Davies, C. M. Gutierrez, Y. Harikane, K. Rubinur, C. C. Lovell, M. Magliocchetti, J. Matthee, F. Ricci, M. Scialpi, D. Scott, L. Spinoglio, F. Tarsitano, Y. Toba, F. Walter, J. R. Weaver, G. Zamorani, B. Altieri, A. Amara, S. Andreon, H. Aussel, C. Baccigalupi, M. Baldi, A. Balestra, S. Bardelli, P. Battaglia, A. Biviano, E. Branchini, M. Brescia, S. Camera, G. Ca\u00f1as-Herrera, V. Capobianco, C. Carbone, J. Carretero, M. Castellano, G. Castignani, S. Cavuoti, K. C. Chambers, A. Cimatti, C. Colodro-Conde, G. Congedo, L. Conversi, Y. Copin, F. Courbin, H. M. Courtois, M. Cropper, J.-C. Cuillandre, H. Degaudenzi, G. De Lucia, C. Dolding, H. Dole, M. Douspis, F. Dubath, X. Dupac, S. Dusini, S. Escoffier, M. Farina, R. Farinelli, S. Ferriol, F. Finelli, N. Fourmanoit, M. Frailis, E. Franceschi, M. Fumana, S. Galeotta, K. George, B. Gillis, C. Giocoli, P. G\u00f3mez-Alvarez, J. Gracia-Carpio, A. Grazian, F. Grupp, L. Guzzo, S. Gwyn, S. V. H. Haugan, H. Hoekstra, W. Holmes, I. M. Hook, F. Hormuth, A. Hornstrup, M. Jhabvala, S. Kermiche, B. Kubik, K. Kuijken, M. K\u00fcmmel, M. Kunz, H. Kurki-Suonio, A. M. C. Le Brun, S. Ligori, P. B. Lilje, V. Lindholm, I. Lloro, G. Mainetti, D. Maino, E. Maiorano, O. Mansutti, O. Marggraf, M. Martinelli, N. Martinet, F. Marulli, R. J. Massey, H. J. McCracken, E. Medinaceli, S. Mei, Y. Mellier, M. Meneghetti, E. Merlin, G. Meylan, J. J. Mohr, A. Mora, M. Moresco, L. Moscardini, E. Munari, R. Nakajima, C. Neissner, R. C. Nichol, S.-M. Niemi, C. Padilla, S. Paltani, F. Pasian, K. Pedersen, W. J. Percival, V. Pettorino, S. Pires, G. Polenta, M. Poncet, L. A. Popa, L. Pozzetti, G. D. Racca, F. Raison, R. Rebolo, A. Renzi, J. Rhodes, G. Riccio, H.-W. Rix, E. Romelli, M. Roncarelli, C. Rosset, B. Rusholme, R. Saglia, Z. Sakr, D. Sapone, M. Sauvage, M. Schirmer, P. Schneider, T. Schrabback, A. Secroun, G. Seidel, S. Serrano, E. Sihvola, P. Simon, C. Sirignano, G. Sirri, L. Stanco, J. Steinwagner, P. Tallada-Cresp\u00ed, I. Tereno, N. Tessore, S. Toft, R. Toledo-Moreo, F. Torradeflot, I. Tutusaus, L. Valenziano, J. Valiviita, T. Vassallo, Y. Wang, J. Weller, F. M. Zerbi, E. Zucca, G. Fabbian, M. Huertas-Company, J. Mart\u00edn-Fleitas, P. Monaco, V. Scottez and M. Viel, 6 July 2026, Astronomy & Astrophysics.
DOI: 10.1051\/0004-6361\/202658883<\/a><\/p>\n

Reference: \u201cEuclid: A UV-faint quasar in a highly luminous star-forming host galaxy at z\u2004\u2248\u20047.7\u201d by S. Belladitta, R. Decarli, E. Ba\u00f1ados, F. Walter, D. Yang, F. Guarneri, K. Jahnke, S. Bisogni, S. E. I. Bosman, X. Fan, Y. Fu, J. F. Hennawi, Y. Matsuoka, D. J. Mortlock, M. Onoue, J.-T. Schindler, L. Spinoglio, D. Stern, F. Wang, G. Vietri, C. J. Willott, J. Wolf, J. Yang, R. A. A. Bowler, K. I. Caputi, D. L. Clements, C. M. Gutierrez, H. J. A. Rottgering, D. Scott, F. Shankar, G. Zamorani, A.-C. Eilers, B. Altieri, S. Andreon, N. Auricchio, C. Baccigalupi, M. Baldi, A. Balestra, S. Bardelli, P. Battaglia, A. Biviano, M. Brescia, S. Camera, V. Capobianco, C. Carbone, J. Carretero, S. Casas, M. Castellano, G. Castignani, S. Cavuoti, K. C. Chambers, A. Cimatti, C. Colodro-Conde, G. Congedo, C. J. Conselice, L. Conversi, Y. Copin, A. Costille, F. Courbin, H. M. Courtois, J.-G. Cuby, A. Da Silva, H. Degaudenzi, G. De Lucia, H. Dole, M. Douspis, F. Dubath, X. Dupac, S. Dusini, S. Escoffier, M. Farina, R. Farinelli, F. Faustini, S. Ferriol, F. Finelli, P. Fosalba, S. Fotopoulou, M. Frailis, E. Franceschi, M. Fumana, S. Galeotta, K. George, B. Gillis, C. Giocoli, J. Gracia-Carpio, A. Grazian, F. Grupp, L. Guzzo, S. V. H. Haugan, H. Hoekstra, W. Holmes, I. M. Hook, F. Hormuth, A. Hornstrup, M. Jhabvala, B. Joachimi, S. Kermiche, A. Kiessling, B. Kubik, M. K\u00fcmmel, M. Kunz, H. Kurki-Suonio, R. Laureijs, A. M. C. Le Brun, S. Ligori, P. B. Lilje, V. Lindholm, I. Lloro, G. Mainetti, D. Maino, E. Maiorano, O. Mansutti, S. Marcin, O. Marggraf, M. Martinelli, N. Martinet, F. Marulli, R. J. Massey, E. Medinaceli, S. Mei, M. Melchior, M. Meneghetti, E. Merlin, G. Meylan, A. Mora, M. Moresco, L. Moscardini, C. Neissner, R. C. Nichol, S.-M. Niemi, C. Padilla, S. Paltani, F. Pasian, K. Pedersen, W. J. Percival, V. Pettorino, S. Pires, G. Polenta, M. Poncet, L. A. Popa, L. Pozzetti, F. Raison, A. Renzi, J. Rhodes, G. Riccio, H.-W. Rix, E. Romelli, M. Roncarelli, B. Rusholme, R. Saglia, Z. Sakr, D. Sapone, B. Sartoris, M. Schirmer, P. Schneider, T. Schrabback, A. Secroun, G. Seidel, E. Sihvola, P. Simon, C. Sirignano, G. Sirri, L. Stanco, P. Tallada-Cresp\u00ed, A. N. Taylor, I. Tereno, N. Tessore, S. Toft, R. Toledo-Moreo, F. Torradeflot, I. Tutusaus, L. Valenziano, J. Valiviita, T. Vassallo, Y. Wang, J. Weller, F. M. Zerbi, E. Zucca, J. Garc\u00eda-Bellido, J. Mart\u00edn-Fleitas, P. Monaco, V. Scottez and M. Viel, 9 July 2026, Astronomy & Astrophysics.
DOI: 10.1051\/0004-6361\/202659319<\/a><\/p>\n

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