TON 618 is one of the biggest and brightest objects ever found in space. It is a quasar, which means it gives off an incredible amount of energy, powered by a supermassive black hole at its center. TON 618 is located about 18.2 billion light-years away from Earth, near the constellations Canes Venatici and Coma Berenices. The light we see from it today started traveling toward us long before our solar system even existed.
What makes TON 618 so amazing is its size. The black hole at its center is around 40 billion times more massive than our Sun, making it one of the largest black holes ever discovered. To help understand just how huge it is, scientists made a size comparison with our solar system, and our entire solar system looks tiny next to it. It’s a reminder of how vast and powerful the universe truly is.