Astronomers Detect Massive X-Ray Jets from Distant Black Holes
June 16, 2025 – In a remarkable discovery, astronomers have observed extremely powerful X-ray jets emerging from two ancient supermassive black holes, offering valuable insight into the early universe.
According to Dr. Jaya Maithil, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, the discovery sheds light on how some of the universe’s earliest structures evolved. She presented the findings during the 246th meeting of the American Astronomical Society held on June 9 in Anchorage, Alaska, as reported by Space.com.
The research team used data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) to identify the two jets, each extending an impressive 300,000 light-years—nearly three times the diameter of our own Milky Way galaxy.
These jets originate from quasars, which are extremely luminous and active galactic cores powered by supermassive black holes. The quasars are located approximately 11.6 billion and 11.7 billion light-years away, meaning the light from them began its journey when the universe was just 3 billion years old.
“These quasars are like cosmic time capsules,” Dr. Maithil explained. “By studying them, we gain insights into how early galaxies and their environments developed.”
One of the jets, associated with the quasar J1610+1811, is captured in a Chandra image showing a faint purple jet emerging from the quasar’s bright central region. A second, less visible jet appears to extend in the opposite direction.
Dr. Maithil compared observing these faint features to “trying to see candlelight next to a bright flashlight.”
The findings are especially significant because the jets remain visible over vast distances. In a paper accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal, the research team suggests the jets produce X-rays by interacting with the cosmic microwave background (CMB)—the ancient light left over from the early universe shortly after the Big Bang.
The interaction between the CMB and the energetic particles in the jets helps amplify the X-ray signals, making them observable even after traveling across billions of light-years.
This discovery offers a unique perspective into the behavior of black holes in the early universe and their potential influence on the growth of galaxies.
