Galaxies · Largest known black-hole jets
Porphyrion
7.5 billion light-years · Light crosses it in 23 million years
- Across
- 23.0 million light-years
- Vs Earth
- 230× Milky Way
Open Porphyrion in Cosmic Scale
In the app, Porphyrion is part of the Beyond pack.
About
Porphyrion is a pair of jets from a supermassive black hole that stretch 23 million light-years end to end — the largest black-hole jets ever seen, found in 2024 with the LOFAR radio telescope.
Its jets span 23 million light-years — 140 Milky Ways end to end.
At a glance
| Distance | About 7.5 billion light-years |
|---|---|
| Span | 23 million light-years |
| Found | 2024, LOFAR |
| Named after | A giant of Greek myth |
Did you know
- The jets would reach across 140 Milky Ways lined up end to end.
- They were blasted out when the universe was about 6 billion years old.
- Jets like this may have spread magnetism through the space between galaxies.