Astronomers have discovered the largest radio jet ever observed in the distant universe, stretching more than 200,000 light-years—double the width of the Milky Way. The radio jet offers crucial insights into cosmic structures formed when the universe was just 1.2 billion years old, roughly 9% of its current age.
Published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on February 6, the study highlights how astronomers used powerful radio telescopes to detect the jet, allowing them to essentially peer back in time. Lead author Anniek Gloudemans, a postdoctoral fellow at the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab, described the jet as the largest of its kind seen in the early universe.
The quasar responsible for this colossal jet is relatively small compared to others, weighing around 450 million times the mass of the Sun. This challenges previous assumptions that only exceptionally massive black holes could generate such powerful jets.
Quasars are formed when supermassive black holes at the heart of galaxies devour nearby material, releasing energy that creates highly luminous jets. In this case, the asymmetrical shape and uneven brightness of the jet suggest it is influenced by extreme environmental factors.
Until now, detecting these ancient radio jets has been challenging due to their immense distances and interference from the cosmic microwave background. This discovery marks a breakthrough in understanding how jets formed and influenced early galaxy evolution.
Martijn Oei, a postdoctoral scholar at the California Institute of Technology, noted that scientists have long speculated about the behavior of black holes in the early universe and how they produced long, powerful jets. This new finding brings them closer to unraveling those mysteries.
