QSO J0529-4351

QSO J0529−4351 (SMSS J052915.80–435152.0) is a quasar, 12 billion light-years away in the Pictor constellation, notable for being the brightest of its kind, and furthermore, for being the most luminous object ever observed. The black hole at its centre has a mass of approximately 17 billion solar masses, and accretes around one solar mass per day. The quasar was discovered using the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory and reported on 20 February 2024.

In a Gaia DR3 data set published on 13 June 2022, Quasar J0529−4351 was assigned a 99.98% probability of being a star in the Milky Way via an automated analysis.