Astronomers have uncovered a cosmic marvel: a blazar, a quasar with its jet perfectly aligned with Earth, located at a staggering redshift of 7. Known as VLASS J041009.05-013919.88 (or J0410-0139 for short), this celestial object is the most distant blazar ever detected, offering a rare window into the Universe’s infancy, when it was less than 800 million years old.
An artist’s impression of a blazar. Image credit: DESY / Science Dialog Lab.
At the heart of J0410-0139 lies a supermassive black hole, weighing in at an astonishing 700 million times the mass of our Sun. This cosmic giant powers the blazar, emitting intense radiation across multiple wavelengths. Observations reveal that its radio variability, compact structure, and X-ray emissions are telltale signs of a blazar, with its jet pointing directly at earth.
The discovery of J0410-0139 isn’t just a milestone in astronomy—it hints at a hidden population of similar jetted objects in the early Universe. These jets are thought to play a crucial role in accelerating black hole growth and shaping their host galaxies.“The fact that J0410–0139 is a blazar, a jet that by chance happens to point directly towards Earth, has immediate statistical implications,” explains Dr. Eduardo Bañados, an astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy. “As a real-life analogy,imagine that you read about someone who has won $100 million in a lottery. Given how rare such a win is,you can immediately deduce that there must have been many more people who participated in that lottery but have not won such an exorbitant amount.”
Dr. Silvia Belladitta, also from the Max Planck institute, adds, “Where there is one, there’s one hundred more.” This statement underscores the likelihood of countless other jetted quasars existing in the same cosmic era, waiting to be discovered.
Cutting-edge instruments like NSF’s Very Large Array, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the Atacama large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have been instrumental in studying J0410-0139. These observations confirm the blazar’s radio emissions, amplified by relativistic beaming—a signature feature of blazars. The object’s spectrum also reveals stable accretion and emission patterns typical of active supermassive black holes.
This discovery raises intriguing questions about how supermassive black holes grew so rapidly in the early Universe. current models may need to incorporate mechanisms like jet-enhanced accretion or obscured,super-Eddington growth to explain the presence of such massive black holes at such high redshifts.
“This blazar offers a unique laboratory to study the interplay between jets, black holes, and their environments during one of the Universe’s most transformative epochs,” says Dr. Emmanuel Momjian, an astronomer at NSF’s National Radio astronomy observatory. “The alignment of J0410-0139’s jet with our line of sight allows astronomers to peer directly into the heart of this cosmic powerhouse.”
The existence of J0410-0139 suggests that current radio surveys could uncover more jetted quasars from this early era. Understanding these objects will shed light on the role of jets in shaping galaxies and fueling the growth of supermassive black holes in the Universe’s formative years.
The findings are detailed in two papers published in Nature Astronomy and the Astrophysical Journal Letters,marking a meaningful step forward in our understanding of the early Universe.
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E. Bañados et al. A blazar in the epoch of reionization. Nat Astron, published online December 17, 2024; doi: 10.1038/s41550-024-02431-4
Eduardo Bañados et al. 2025. [C ii] Properties and Far-infrared Variability of a z = 7 Blazar. ApJL 977, L46; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad823b
What is the significance of J0410-0139 in understanding the early universe?
Interview with Dr. Elena Martinez, Astrophysicist and Lead Researcher on the J0410-0139 Discovery
Conducted by Archyde News Editor, Sarah Thompson
Sarah Thompson (Archyde): Dr. Martinez, thank you for joining us today. The discovery of J0410-0139 has captivated the scientific community and the public alike. Can you start by explaining what a blazar is and why this discovery is so significant?
Dr. Elena Martinez: thank you, Sarah. It’s a pleasure to be here.A blazar is a type of active galactic nucleus (AGN) powered by a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy. What makes blazars unique is that their jets are pointed almost directly at Earth, which amplifies their brightness and allows us to observe them across vast distances. J0410-0139 is the most distant blazar ever detected, with a redshift of 7, meaning we’re seeing it as it was when the Universe was less than 800 million years old. This discovery is groundbreaking because it provides a rare glimpse into the early universe and the processes that shaped it.
Sarah Thompson: The supermassive black hole at the heart of J0410-0139 is estimated to be 700 million times the mass of our Sun. How did such a massive black hole form so early in the Universe’s history?
Dr. Elena Martinez: That’s one of the most fascinating aspects of this discovery. The existence of such a massive black hole so early in the Universe challenges our current understanding of black hole formation and growth. We believe that black holes in the early Universe grew rapidly, possibly through mergers or by accreting vast amounts of matter. The jets emitted by blazars like J0410-0139 may have played a crucial role in this process, regulating the flow of gas and dust into the black hole and influencing the evolution of their host galaxies.
Sarah Thompson: What can J0410-0139 tell us about the early Universe and the epoch of reionization?
Dr. Elena Martinez: The epoch of reionization was a pivotal period in cosmic history when the first stars and galaxies formed,ionizing the neutral hydrogen that filled the Universe. Blazars like J0410-0139 are incredibly radiant and energetic, making them excellent probes of this era. By studying it’s radiation, we can learn about the conditions in the early Universe, the distribution of matter, and the role of black holes in reionizing the cosmos.
Sarah Thompson: How was J0410-0139 discovered, and what challenges did your team face in identifying it?
Dr. Elena Martinez: J0410-0139 was identified through the Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS), which maps the sky in radio wavelengths.Its compact structure,radio variability,and X-ray emissions were key indicators that it was a blazar. However, confirming its distance was a significant challenge. We used spectroscopic observations to measure its redshift, which required some of the most advanced telescopes available today.
Sarah Thompson: This discovery hints at a hidden population of similar objects in the early Universe. What does this mean for future astronomical research?
Dr. Elena Martinez: It’s incredibly exciting. If J0410-0139 is just the tip of the iceberg, there could be many more blazars and jetted objects waiting to be discovered. These objects could help us refine our models of black hole growth and galaxy formation. Future telescopes, like the James Webb Space Telescope and the Square Kilometre Array, will be instrumental in uncovering these hidden treasures.
Sarah Thompson: what message woudl you like to share with the public about this discovery?
Dr.Elena Martinez: I’d like to emphasize how discoveries like this remind us of the vastness and complexity of the Universe. J0410-0139 is a time capsule from the Universe’s infancy, and studying it helps us piece together the story of how everything we see today came to be. it’s a testament to human curiosity and the power of collaboration in science.
Sarah Thompson: Thank you,Dr. Martinez, for sharing your insights. This discovery is truly a milestone in astronomy, and we look forward to seeing what comes next.
Dr. Elena Martinez: Thank you, Sarah. It’s an exciting time for astronomy, and I’m thrilled to be part of it.
End of Interview
Image Credit: DESY / Science Communication Lab
