Astronomers utilizing the ESA’s Euclid Space Telescope have made a groundbreaking discovery of 31 ancient quasars dating back to when the universe was only 670 million to 800 million years old. Among these celestial objects, EUCL J172902.75+641018.1 has set a remarkable record as the most distant quasar ever identified.
This collage showcases 15 of the 31 newly discovered quasars by ESA’s Euclid Space Telescope. EUCL J172902.75+641018.1 and EUCL J125308.55+705432.3 are featured in the first row, first and second from the left, respectively. Image credit: ESA / Euclid / Euclid Consortium / NASA / Euclid Science Ground Segment / Antoine Basset, CNES.
Quasars are among the universe’s brightest and most energetic entities, fueled by supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies.
Dr. Damin Yang, an astronomer from Leiden University, noted, “These early quasars trace back to the universe’s infancy. By locating and examining them, we can delve deeper into one of astrophysics’ greatest mysteries: how these colossal systems formed and evolved so rapidly.”
He further stated, “Previously known early quasars were merely the tip of the iceberg—rare, luminous outliers that were easier to detect.”
“We hadn’t identified a sufficient number of quasars from this early epoch to study them collectively,” Dr. Yang explained.
The recent findings by Euclid have changed the narrative, capturing a significant portion of the ancient quasar population, beyond just the bright exceptions.
This discovery introduces 12 new quasars with redshifts greater than 7, corresponding to the universe’s first 770 million years.
The oldest quasars from this batch, EUCL J172902.75+641018.1 and EUCL J125308.55+705432.3, feature redshifts of 7.77 and 7.69, respectively, establishing new records for the oldest known quasars.
Both quasars are located over 13 billion light-years away and appeared in the universe’s first 670 million years.
ESA researcher Dr. Antonio La Marca commented, “This finding more than doubles our knowledge of extremely ancient quasars.”
“It took astronomers over a decade to discover the initial 10 quasars with redshifts above 7, but Euclid has already surpassed that within a year.”
“The Euclid research team is conducting the first true examination of the quasar population from the universe’s early days.”
This represents a significant milestone toward gaining a more fundamental understanding of these enigmatic objects.
For more in-depth information, a research paper detailing the discovery has been published in this week’s edition of Astronomy and Astrophysics.
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D. Yang et al. 2026. Euclid: 31 new quasars discovered with 6.6 < z < 7.8. A&A 711, A104; doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202658883
Source: www.sci.news
