The Astrophysical Journal · 13 October 2026 · From issue 51
Rapid Radio Variability in the z ∼ 7 Blazar VLASS J0410-0139: Indication of a Hidden Population of Weak Radio Jets at Cosmic Dawn
A far away young galaxy's radio light flickered fast because a narrow jet points almost at Earth.
Silvia Belladitta, Eduardo Bañados et al.
A distant galaxy, seen as it looked less than a billion years after the universe began, has a beam of fast particles pointed almost straight at Earth. This beam makes its radio light flicker brightly in just months. The beam is weak on its own, but points at us so closely that it looks bright. This hints that many more hidden galaxies like it exist, with similar beams we cannot see because they point elsewhere.
How closely the galaxy's jet of fast particles points toward Earth, based on radio brightness changes.
One distant galaxy studied, few observation rounds, no broader sample yet.
Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 14 October 2026. Retraction record: none. DOI resolves at doi.org. Metadata record found (The Astrophysical Journal). Read the source
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