PSO J030947.49+271757.31

PSO J030947.49+271757.31
Observation data (Epoch J2000)
Constellation	Aries
Right ascension	03h 09m 47.49s
Declination	+27° 17′ 57.31″
Redshift	6.1
Distance	12.7 billion ly (4.0 billion pc) (light travel distance) 27.6 billion ly (8.5 billion pc) (proper distance)
Type	Blazar
Other designations
PSO J0309+27
See also: Quasar, List of quasars

PSO J030947.49+271757.31, sometimes shortened to PSO J0309+27, is the most distant known blazar, as of 2020. It lies in Aries. The blazar has a redshift of 6.1, meaning its light took almost 13 billion years to reach Earth, when the universe was about 1 billion years old, and its present comoving distance is about 30 billion light-years. It was discovered by a team of researchers led by Silvia Belladitta, a Ph.D. student at the University of Insubria, working for the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) in Milan, Italy.

Further reading

• S. Belladitta; A. Moretti; A. Caccianiga; C. Spingola; P. Severgnini; R. Della Ceca; G. Ghisellini; D. Dallacasa; T. Sbarrato; C. Cicone; L. P. Cassarà; M. Pedani (6 February 2020), "The first blazar observed at z>6", Astronomy & Astrophysics, 635: L7, arXiv:2002.05178, Bibcode:2020A&A...635L...7B, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201937395
• Ferreira, Becky (March 9, 2020). "An Ancient Black Hole as Heavy as a Billion Suns Is Pointed Right At Us". Vice Motherboard. The blazar—powered by an extremely bright black hole that can blast a hole through galaxies—is the most ancient ever discovered, sending radio signals from the early universe
• Matt Williams (March 19, 2020). "Blazar Found Blazing When the Universe was Only a Billion Years Old". Universe Today.
• Monzon, Inigo (March 12, 2020). "Ancient Supermassive Black Hole Aiming At Earth With Particle Beam". International Business Times.