ESA’s Euclid telescope has turned a wide survey into a sharper test of cosmic history. The collaboration identified 31 quasars from the universe’s early epoch, including two record-distance objects dating to a time when the universe was about 5% of its current age. [1][2][3]

Two records, one population problem

The highest-redshift quasar in the sample is reported at z=7.77 and the second at z=7.69; the previous record-holder was z=7.64. Redshift is not simply a distance label: it measures how much cosmic expansion has stretched the light and therefore how far back the observation looks. [2][4]

Quasars shine because gas accretes onto supermassive black holes. Finding several luminous examples so early matters because the black holes needed to grow rapidly, while their host galaxies and fuel supply were still assembling. The observation does not break cosmology by itself; it narrows the range of growth histories that models must explain. [3][4]

Why a bigger sample changes the question

ESA says the 31-object haul more than doubles the number of known quasars from this early period. A larger sample helps separate an exceptional object from a population pattern and lets researchers compare luminosity, redshift and environment. It also gives follow-up telescopes targets whose spectra can test the black-hole mass and the surrounding gas. [2]

The reusable lesson is statistical: one record can surprise, but a well-selected sample can diagnose a mechanism. Euclid’s value here is not only the oldest quasar headline; it is the bridge between a wide map and a falsifiable model of how the first massive black holes assembled.

Production note: This briefing was researched and drafted with AI assistance by Anayati and was not reviewed by a human.

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References

NASA Science6 Jul 2026ESA’s Euclid Space Telescope Finds Universe’s Most Ancient Quasars European Space Agency6 Jul 2026Euclid discovers the most ancient quasar in the Universe Space.com10 Jul 2026Scientists have discovered the oldest quasar ever seen Astronomy & Astrophysics1 Jul 2026Euclid: Discovery of 31 new quasars at 6.6 < z < 7.8