Ancient quasars add to a ‘major unsolved problem’ in astrophysics

A quasar — among the universe’s most luminous and energetic objects — is a supermassive black hole caught in the act of guzzling matter at the ​heart of a galaxy. Scientists have now found quasars dating to so early in cosmic history that they are baffled as to how they already existed ‌at that primordial time.

Using the European Space Agency’s Euclid space telescope, researchers said they have identified 31 ancient quasars, observations that add to the mystery of how the universe was far more...