Redshift 5.8: A New Farthest Quasar
Explanation:
The distance record for a
quasar
has been broken yet again.
At the present time, no other object in the
universe
has been found to be more distant than the above speck.
The
recently discovered quasar has been clocked
at redshift 5.82.
The exact relation between
redshift and distance remains
presently unknown, although surely higher
redshifts do mean greater distance.
The
above quasar is likely billions of
light-years away and so is seen when the
universe was younger
than one billion years old,
less than a tenth of its present age.
Like all
quasars, this object is probably a
large black hole
in the center of a distant galaxy.
Don't close the
record book yet, though.
The redshifts to several
other SDSS-discovered quasars
are currently being measured,
some of which might have
redshifts greater than six.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
