A quasar, J1601+3102, powered by a relatively small supermassive black hole (450 million solar masses), has been found emitting a massive twin-lobed jet stretching at least 200,000 light-years, double the width of the Milky Way.

This discovery challenges previous assumptions, showing that powerful jets in the early universe don’t require extremely massive black holes.

The jets were detected by the LOFAR telescope and studied with other instruments, revealing differences in the jet lobes and providing new insights into quasar formation and the evolution of galaxies, Space.com has reported.

The findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on February 6.

Written by B.C. Begley