Trending Now - Astronomers Discover Brightest Cosmic Laser 8 Billion Light-years Away

WHO:

Thato Manamela, astrophysicist at the University of Pretoria in South Africa

Researchers using the MeerKAT telescope

WHAT:

Discovery of the brightest and most distant cosmic laser, termed a "gigamaser"

Designated as HATLAS J142935.3–002836

The gigamaser emits intense radio waves due to a galactic collision

The light from this event has traveled 7.82 billion light-years to reach Earth

The previous distance record for a megamaser was 5 billion light-years

The microwaves emitted are around 18 centimeters in length (7 inches or 1,665 megahertz)

The study has been accepted for publication in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Letters

WHERE:

Discovered using the MeerKAT radio telescope located in South Africa

HATLAS J142935.3–002836 is approximately 8 billion light-years away from Earth

WHEN:

The discovery was reported on March 5, 2026

HATLAS J142935.3–002836 was first discovered in 2014

The study was uploaded to the preprint server arXiv on February 13, 2026

WHY:

The gigamaser is produced during the violent merger of two galaxies, compressing gas and exciting hydroxyl molecules to release high-energy microwaves

Researchers are interested in megamasers as they provide insights into the formation, growth, evolution, and death of ancient galaxies

HOW:

The detection of the gigamaser was aided by gravitational lensing, a phenomenon where light from a distant object is magnified by the gravity of a massive object between the source and the observer

The MeerKAT telescope, an array of 64 radio dishes, was used to detect the signal

Today, researchers led by Thato Manamela at the University of Pretoria have announced the discovery of the brightest and most distant cosmic laser, known as a gigamaser, which is located about 8 billion light-years away and emits intense radio waves due to a galactic collision. This remarkable find, designated HATLAS J142935.3–002836, was made using the MeerKAT telescope in South Africa and marks a new distance record, surpassing the previous record for a megamaser by nearly 3 billion light-years. The study detailing this discovery has been accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Letters, highlighting the significance of these cosmic phenomena in understanding the evolution of ancient galaxies.