High-Redshift Quasar and Companion Galaxy (Illustration)

 High-Redshift Quasar and Companion Galaxy (Illustration)

This artist’s illustration portrays two galaxies that existed in the first billion years of the universe. The larger galaxy at left hosts a brilliant quasar at its center, whose glow is powered by hot matter surrounding a supermassive black hole. Scientists calculate that the resolution and infrared sensitivity of NASA’s upcoming James Webb Space Telescope will allow it to detect a dusty host galaxy like this despite the quasar’s searchlight beam.

Credits

Image

NASA, ESA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI)