Astronomers have discovered that supermassive black holes in the early universe were far more powerful than previously thought, blasting jets of material across incredible distances at nearly the speed of light. This groundbreaking discovery, made using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, offers new insights into how these cosmic monsters shaped the universe during its most dynamic period.
Artist illustration of the Chandra X-ray Observatory. (Credit : NASA/CXC/NGST)
The discovery focuses on a period scientists call "cosmic noon,” approximately 3 billion years after the Big Bang when the universe was just starting to hit its stride. During this somewhat frenzied era, stars blazed to life at record rates while galaxies and supermassive black holes devoured material faster than at any other time in cosmic history.
“We’re finding that some black holes may carry a bigger punch at this stage in the universe than we thought,” - Jaya Maithil of the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian
Two supermassive black holes, located 11.6 billion and 11.7 billion light years from Earth, have been discovered launching jets over 300,000 light years long, distances so vast they could span multiple galaxies placed end to end.
A team led by Jaya Maithil from the Center for Astrophysics at Harvard & Smithsonian made the discovery and, what makes it so remarkable is how the jets became visible to astronomers. As the jets race through space, they plow through the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation, the leftover glow from the Big Bang itself. When high-energy electrons in the jets collide with these ancient photons, they boost their energy by a million times, transforming them from microwaves into X-rays that Chandra can detect.
Nine-year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe heat map of temperature fluctuations in the Cosmic Microwave Background. (Credit : NASA / WMAP Science Team)
The research team combined Chandra's X-ray observations with radio data from the Very Large Array to measure the jets' incredible speeds. They found that one jet (designated J1405+0415) travels between 95% and 99% of light speed, while the other (J1610+1811) races at 92% to 98% of light speed.
Both jets happen to be pointing almost directly at Earth, angled only about 10 degrees away from our line of sight. This fortunate alignment gives astronomers an unprecedented view of these cosmic particle accelerators in action. The team also measured the magnetic fields within the jets and found them typical for this type of X-ray emission, confirming their understanding of how these extreme environments operate. These findings suggest that supermassive black holes were not just growing rapidly during cosmic noon, they were also actively reshaping their surroundings on unprecedented scales. The massive jets could have influenced star formation, galaxy evolution, and the distribution of matter across cosmic distances.
The research demonstrates how modern telescopes can serve as time machines, revealing the universe's violent adolescence. It also reminds us that while today's universe may seem relatively calm, its early years were marked by extraordinary violence and energy, with supermassive black holes serving as some of the most powerful forces shaping the cosmic landscape.
Source : NASA's Chandra Sees Surprisingly Strong Black Hole Jet at Cosmic “Noon"
