Astronomers discover enormous radio jet, twice the size of the Milky Way Galaxy, in distant universe

In a groundbreaking discovery, astronomers have observed an enormous radio jet spanning over 200,000 light-years in the distant universe—twice the size of our Milky Way galaxy. This giant jet offers a rare glimpse into the early universe, formed when it was less than 10% of its current age of 13.8 billion years.

Largest Radio Jet Ever Found... pic.twitter.com/YI0yhablq4

— ᑕOՏᗰIᑕ ᗰᗴՏՏᗴᑎᘜᗴᖇ ≈ 𝕃𝕦𝕚𝕤 𝔸𝕝𝕗𝕣𝕖𝕕𝕠⁷ ∞∃⊍ (@LuisADomDaly) February 12, 2025

Published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on February 6, the study details how astronomers identified this massive radio jet using two advanced radio telescopes, enabling them to look back in time and witness cosmic phenomena from the universe’s infancy.

The discovery provides important insights into the formation of the universe's first jets and their impact on galaxy evolution. Anniek Gloudemans, the study's lead author and postdoctoral research fellow at the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab, described the find as groundbreaking, noting that this is the largest radio jet observed from the early universe.

For years, astronomers struggled to detect these vast radio jets, which were formed shortly after the Big Bang. The distance and the cosmic microwave background, which weakens radio signals from distant objects, made them difficult to observe.

The jet is believed to be associated with a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy. These black holes generate immense energy as they draw in material, potentially powering quasars—among the brightest objects in the universe.

The newly discovered radio jet formed when the universe was just 1.2 billion years old (around 9% of its current age). Despite the quasar’s smaller size—450 million times the mass of our Sun—its radio jet is exceptionally powerful. Gloudemans suggests that this discovery challenges the idea that only exceptionally massive black holes can generate such powerful jets.

The jet’s asymmetrical features, such as varying distances from the quasar and differences in brightness, suggest that extreme environmental factors are influencing its shape and intensity.

Gloudemans explained that scientists had been searching for quasars with powerful radio jets in the early universe to understand the formation and role of these jets in galaxy development.

Martijn Oei, a lead author of a previous study on the Porphyrion quasar at the California Institute of Technology, expressed excitement about the discovery. He noted that scientists had long questioned whether such long, intense jets could exist in the early universe, given the smaller and differently behaving black holes of that era.