Overview

• The quasar RACS J0320-35 lies about 12.8 billion light-years away, observed 920 million years after the Big Bang.
• Modeling of 2023 Chandra observations points to an accretion rate roughly 2.4 times the Eddington limit, implying growth of about 300–3,000 solar masses per year.
• The central black hole has a mass near one billion Suns and is emitting more X-rays than any other known black hole from the universe’s first billion years.
• The team detected a relativistic jet that is rare for quasars at this epoch, which they suggest may be connected to the rapid growth.
• RACS J0320-35 was identified via a radio survey with optical/infrared follow-up and a Gemini-South distance measurement, and the analysis led by Luca Ighina has been accepted by The Astrophysical Journal Letters.