WORLDTECHEuclid discovers ancient cosmic beacons from the dawn of time, shining like a trillion suns
What happened
ESA’s Euclid space telescope has discovered 31 ancient quasars, including two record-breaking objects that shone with the brightness of a trillion Suns when the Universe was just 670 million years old. Powered by supermassive black holes, these extraordinary cosmic beacons reveal a time when the first galaxies were still taking shape.
Science News from research organizations Date: November 14, 2026 Source: European Space Agency Summary: ESA’s Euclid space telescope has discovered 31 ancient quasars, including two record-breaking objects that shone with the brightness of a trillion Suns when the Universe was just 670 million years old.
This process releases extraordinary amounts of energy, causing the galaxy's core to shine hundreds or even thousands of times more brightly than the rest of the galaxy combined. Launched in 2023, Euclid is transforming that search.
These brilliant galactic centers, powered by enormous black holes, were already radiating as much light as a trillion Suns when the Universe was only 670 million years old, about 5% of its present age. Quasars are among the brightest objects in the cosmos.
They appear during a relatively short period in a galaxy's history when huge quantities of gas and other material spiral toward its central supermassive black hole. Astronomers have spent decades searching for quasars from the Universe's earliest years because they offer valuable clues about the formation of the first galaxies and supermassive black holes.