Astronomers have confirmed the most powerful radio galaxy known, sitting nearly 12.5 billion years in the past.

The source, TXS 2354+015, was confirmed at a redshift of 4.946, when the universe was less than 1.2 billion years old. Its radio power at 500 MHz exceeds the previous record-holder from a 2008 census.

The team, led by Barbara Balmaverde of the INAF Astrophysical Observatory of Turin, found it using the Lyman-break technique. They combined deep optical imaging with radio catalogs to spot the telltale dropout signature of extreme distance.

The host galaxy may weigh around 2 trillion solar masses, making it one of the brightest galaxies known. The estimate carries large uncertainties.

The discovery suggests standard radio selection methods miss a meaningful share of early-universe radio galaxies. The paper was posted to arXiv on September 23.

Radio-loud galaxies can influence star formation through powerful jets of plasma. Their energy can heat surrounding gas and shape how galaxies grow.

The team also ruled out a chance alignment. The precise match between optical and radio data supported a genuine source with an optical counterpart.