Quasar host galaxy
Quasars are the most distant objects in the universe, and so are among the earliest objects known to have formed in the young universe, more than 12 billion years ago. The most widely accepted notion is that quasars are in galaxies with active, supermassive black holes at their centers.
However, because of their enormous distance, the 'host' galaxies appear very small and faint, and are very hard to see against the much brighter quasar light at the center. Though a quasar might no be much larger than our solar system it releases as much energy as billions of stars.
Credit:About the Image
About the Object
Name: | IRAS Z12295+2025, QSO 1229+204 |
Type: | Early Universe : Galaxy : Type : Interacting Early Universe : Galaxy : Activity : AGN : Quasar |
Distance: | z=0.063 (redshift) |
Category: | Cosmology Quasars and Black Holes |
Colours & filters
Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
---|---|---|
Optical V | 606 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |
Optical R | 702 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |
Notes: The left image was captured by the ground-based Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). The right was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.