--- title: "Astronomers Just Found 83 Giant Black Holes at Universe’s Edge" description: "An international team of researchers says it's found 83 new supermassive black holes at extreme end of the visible universe." date: "2019-03-16" modified: "2019-03-16" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/astronomers-83-giant-black-holes" categories: - "Astrophysics" - "Black Holes" - "Science & Energy" - "Space" tags: - "Astronomy" - "Black holes" - "quasars" --- # Astronomers Just Found 83 Giant Black Holes at Universe’s Edge ![An international team of researchers says it's found 83 new supermassive black holes at extreme end of the visible universe.]() *\Image: Princeton University\* ## Hole Story An international team of researchers says it's found 83 new supermassive black holes at extreme end of the visible universe — by looking at light that took so long to reach Earth that it dates from the early universe. "It is remarkable that such massive dense objects were able to form so soon after the Big Bang," said Michael Strauss, a professor of astrophysical sciences at Princeton University involved in the research, in a [press release](). "Understanding how black holes can form in the early universe, and just how common they are, is a challenge for our cosmological models." ## Squad Goals The discovery was made by 48 astronomers around the world who described the findings in five new papers in *The Astrophysical Journal* and the *Publications of the Astronomical Observatory of Japan*. The finding was based on data taken with the Hyper Suprime-Cam, a "cutting-edge instrument" at the Subaru Telescope at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, in Hawaii, which the researchers combined with readings from three more powerful telescopes around the world. ## Quasar Theory The newly-discovered black holes are quasars, which shoot out matter in powerful jets. The researchers are hoping that more datagathering and analysis will shed light onto how some of the earliest quasars in the universe formed. "The quasars we discovered will be an interesting subject for further follow-up observations with current and future facilities," said Yoshiki Matsuok, a researcher at Ehime University who worked on the discovery. "We will also learn about the formation and early evolution of \[super massive black holes\], by comparing the measured number density and luminosity distribution with predictions from theoretical models." **READ MORE:** [Astronomers discover 83 supermassive black holes at the edge of the universe]() \[*CNET*\] **More on black holes:** [New Image Confirms a Black Hole is Swallowing Our Galaxy]() ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()