Trending Now - Record-breaking Laser Discovered 8 Billion Light Years Away

WHO:

BGR - A team of astronomers discovered the microwave laser beam.

Yahoo - The study's author provided insights to New Scientist.

WHAT:

BGR - Scientists discovered a microwave laser beam that is the most powerful and distant of its kind.

Yahoo - The signal is roughly 100,000 times the luminosity of a star.

BGR - Researchers created a new category for the laser, naming it the "gigamaser."

Yahoo - The maser has a wavelength of 7 inches, which is far longer than visible light.

WHERE:

BGR - The maser was discovered in the galaxy HATLAS J142935.3–002836.

Yahoo - The discovery was made using the MeerKAT radio telescope located in South Africa.

WHEN:

Yahoo - The galaxy is in the middle of a violent merger occurring more than 8 billion light-years away.

Yahoo - The researchers observed the maser and its galaxy as they were more than 3 billion years before Earth existed.

WHY:

BGR - Hydroxyl masers form when two galaxies crash into each other, compressing gas and exciting hydroxyl molecules.

Yahoo - The discovery was aided by a galaxy being in near-perfect alignment between Earth and HATLAS J142935.3–002836, amplifying the signal.

HOW:

BGR - The MeerKAT radio telescope is one of the most sensitive in the world, designed to catch faint signals from across the universe.

Yahoo - The telescope pulls in about 2.5 terabytes of data per hour, and astronomers use advanced computing and custom-built processing pipelines to analyze the data.

(UPDATED May 12, 2026 11:38 UTC)

A team of astronomers has made a groundbreaking discovery, identifying the most powerful and distant microwave laser beam, now classified as a "gigamaser," located in the galaxy HATLAS J142935.3–002836, which is over 8 billion light-years away. This remarkable signal is approximately 100,000 times more luminous than a star and has a wavelength of 7 inches, significantly longer than visible light. The discovery was facilitated by the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa, known for its sensitivity and ability to capture faint signals, as it processes around 2.5 terabytes of data per hour to analyze such cosmic phenomena.