The universe is about 13.8 billion years old. Scientists have used the European Space Agency's (ESA) Euclid telescope to find 31 quasars from the early universe. Quasars are very bright centers of galaxies. They are powered by supermassive black holes that consume gas and dust, releasing huge amounts of energy. The newly found quasars are from a time when the universe was only about 670 million years old, which is very early in its history.
Two of these quasars are the most ancient ever observed, with record-breaking ages. They are older than any quasar found before. This discovery is surprising because current scientific models have trouble explaining how these massive objects became so large so early in the universe's life. It is a puzzle for scientists like Joseph Hennawi, who studies these objects.
These quasars existed during a time called the epoch of reionization, when the first stars and galaxies started to form. The Euclid telescope, launched in 2023, made this discovery quickly. It is very powerful and can see large areas of the sky. It found these ancient objects much faster than previous telescopes. Daming Yang, the lead author of the study, said Euclid is a "game-changer" for finding distant objects.
The Euclid Wide Survey project aims to map a large part of the sky. Many scientists and institutions from different countries are involved. Other telescopes, like the James Webb Space Telescope, will also study these quasars. This research helps scientists understand the early, dynamic universe.