Astronomers have identified the most ancient blazar ever observed, a supermassive black hole from the early universe shooting an energy beam directly at Earth. This cosmic powerhouse has a mass equal to 700 million suns, according to a study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters titled “Properties and Far-infrared Variability of a z = 7 Blazar.”
What is a ‘blazar’?
Blazars are rare galaxies with supermassive black holes at their centres. These black holes emit jets of radiation that align directly with Earth, making them some of the brightest objects in the universe. The immense magnetic fields around these black holes shape the jets, which can extend far beyond their host galaxies.
Blazar J0410−0139
The newly discovered blazar, named J0410−0139, lies approximately 12.9 billion light-years from Earth. Its high-energy beam of radiation has travelled for almost 13 billion years to reach us, dating back to a time just 800 million years after the Big Bang. This makes it the most distant blazar ever recorded, surpassing the previous record-holder by 100 million years.
‘Cosmic powerhouse’
The discovery of J0410−0139 offers scientists a unique opportunity to explore the early universe. “The alignment of J0410−0139’s jet with our line of sight allows astronomers to peer directly into the heart of this cosmic powerhouse,” explained Emmanuel Momjian, an astronomer at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Virginia.
