Oldest Quasar Pair in Universe Baffles Astronomers

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have identified what is believed to be the most ancient pair of quasars ever detected, according to a study published on 10 November in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. The quasars, powered by supermassive black holes, existed when the universe was less than a billion years old. But their discovery is puzzling because current cosmological models suggest such a pair should not exist so early.

The pair is the most distant quasar pair known, meaning we see them as they were when the universe was very young. The study, reported by Space.com and picked up by Agerpres, notes that the find challenges theories about how supermassive black holes formed and merged in the early universe. Quasars are extremely bright cores of distant galaxies, fuelled by gas falling into supermassive black holes. Finding a pair of them at such an early cosmic epoch suggests that these black holes grew and paired up faster than expected.

According to the researchers, the existence of the pair is difficult to explain with standard models of structure formation. The observation provides a new benchmark for understanding the formation of the first supermassive black holes and their host galaxies. The James Webb Space Telescope's infrared capabilities were key to spotting these faint, ancient objects.

This discovery could lead to revised theories about the early universe and the formation of massive structures. It also demonstrates the power of JWST to probe the era of the first quasars, offering a glimpse into the cosmic dawn when the first stars and galaxies came into being.