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Health & Science3h 42m ago
A faraway fluctuating quasar dating back 12.9 billion years has been observed dimming and brightening with luminosity changes equivalent to 2 trillion times the brightness of the sun.
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early universe
Who
Gene Leung, Anna-Christina Eilers
What
A faraway fluctuating quasar dating back 12.9 billion years has been observed dimming and brightening with luminosity changes equivalent to 2 trillion times the brightness of the sun.
When
Fri, 12 Jun 2026 20:00:00 GMT · 3h 42m ago
Where
early universe ·
Why
This flickering quasar suggests that the messy, rapid growth phases of black holes happen very early on, leading them to appear mature at a young age.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
The discovery of a mature quasar existing 12.9 billion years ago provides new evidence that supermassive black holes formed and developed exceptionally fast in the early universe, potentially reshaping theories of cosmic evolution.
Story chain
4 events in this thread- Health & Science3h 42m agoA faraway fluctuating quasar has been seen dimming and brightening by an extraordinary amount, changes in luminosity equivalent to 2 trillion times the brightness of the sun.Open article
- Health & Science3h 42m agoA faraway fluctuating quasar has been seen dimming and brightening by an extraordinary amount, changes in luminosity equivalent to 2 trillion times the brightness of the sun.Open article
- Currently Reading3h 42m agoA faraway fluctuating quasar dating back 12.9 billion years has been observed dimming and brightening with luminosity changes equivalent to 2 trillion times the brightness of the sun.
- Health & Science3h 42m agoA faraway fluctuating quasar has been seen dimming and brightening by an extraordinary amount, changes in luminosity equivalent to 2 trillion times the brightness of the sun.Open article