# Science Release: Astronomers Discover Nāpōwawāʻenakaulua, the Oldest Compact Quasar Pair in the Universe

Source: [Boletín de Noticias de NOIRLab](http://noirlab.edu/public/news/noirlab2627/) · 2026-11-10 · Space
Page: https://themorning.science/story/science-release-astronomers-discover-napowawa-enakaulua-the-oldest-compact-quasa-b675a9da97e4befc
Kind: research · Impact: medium

## In brief

- Astronomers reported the oldest compact quasar pair ever observed, found about 900 million years after the Big Bang.
- The pair, named Nāpōwawāʻenakaulua, consists of two actively feeding black holes.
- Scientists say there is no theoretical explanation yet for how these black holes grew so massive so early.

## Why it matters

The discovery puts a direct observational constraint on how quickly supermassive black holes could form and grow in the early universe, and current theory does not yet account for it.

## Timeline

- 2026-11-10: NOIRLab announces the discovery of Nāpōwawāʻenakaulua, the oldest compact quasar pair observed

## Coverage

- [Science Release: Astronomers Discover Nāpōwawāʻenakaulua, the Oldest Compact Quasar Pair in the Universe](http://noirlab.edu/public/news/noirlab2627/) — Boletín de Noticias de NOIRLab, 2026-11-10

Tags: quasars, black holes, early universe, astronomy, galaxy evolution

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Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science