Astronomers Discover the Brightest Early Galaxy Ever

The light in this image emanates from a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy 13 billion light-years away.(Credit: Momjian, et al.; B. Saxton (NRAO/AUI/NSF)) The early universe is a mystery. It's quite literally surrounded by a veil that obscures its distant, early light. But a new glimmer through that void could give us a glimpse into this mysterious era. Two papers released in the Astrophysical Journal (first paper, second paper) detail the discovery of a quasar dubbed PSO J352.4034-15.3373, or P352-15 for short. Quasars are the active centers of large galaxies where supermassive black holes shoot out jets of gas. The image is faint, but shows three distinct regions spreading across some 5,000 light years. Our universe is 13.8 billion years old; this quasar is 13 billion years old. In the intervening time, our universe was filled with neutral hydrogen - one positively charged proton mated to ...