Looking 'Underneath' Quasar HE0450-2958

Stsci_2009-18l_1024

stsci_2009-18l April 21st, 2009

Credit: NASA, ESA, ESO, F. Courbin (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland) and P. Magain (Universite de Liege, Belgium)

This image shows the quasar HE0450-2958 after advanced image processing known as MCS-deconvolution. Thanks to this technique, it is possible to remove the brilliant glare from the quasar itself. The most interesting feature in the image is the nearly total absence of starlight from a host galaxy. The processing also reveals an interesting smaller cloud of gas about 2,500 light-years wide, which the scientists call "the blob," just next to the quasar. Very Large Telescope (VLT) observations show this cloud to be glowing because it is bathed in the intense radiation coming from the quasar. Most likely, it is the gas from this 'blob' that feeds the supermassive black hole, thereby allowing it to shine as a quasar.

Provider: Space Telescope Science Institute

Image Source: https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2009/news-2009-18

Curator: STScI, Baltimore, MD, USA

Image Use Policy: http://hubblesite.org/copyright/

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Image Details

Image Type
Observation
Object Name
HE0450-2958
Subject - Distant Universe
Galaxy > Activity > AGN > Quasar

Distance

Universescale3
5,000,000,000 light years

Position Details

Position (ICRS)
RA = 4h 52m 30.0s
DEC = -29° 53’ 35.0”
Constellation
Caelum

Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Orange Hubble (ACS/HCR) Optical (V) 606.0 nm
Spectrum_base
Orange
Stsci_2009-18l_1280
×
ID
2009-18l
Subject Category
D.5.3.2.1  
Subject Name
HE0450-2958
Credits
NASA, ESA, ESO, F. Courbin (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland) and P. Magain (Universite de Liege, Belgium)
Release Date
2009-04-21T00:00:00
Lightyears
5,000,000,000
Redshift
5,000,000,000
Reference Url
https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2009/news-2009-18
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Good
Distance Notes
Distance in lightyears
Facility
Hubble
Instrument
ACS/HCR
Color Assignment
Orange
Band
Optical
Bandpass
V
Central Wavelength
606
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
ICRS
Equinox
Reference Value
73.12500000, -29.89305556
Reference Dimension
Reference Pixel
Scale
Rotation
Coordinate System Projection:
Quality
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
STScI
URL
http://hubblesite.org
Name
Space Telescope Science Institute Office of Public Outreach
Email
outreach@stsci.edu
Telephone
410-338-4444
Address
3700 San Martin Drive
City
Baltimore
State/Province
MD
Postal Code
21218
Country
USA
Rights
http://hubblesite.org/copyright/
Publisher
STScI
Publisher ID
stsci
Resource ID
STSCI-H-p0918l-f-781x781.tif
Resource URL
https://mast.stsci.edu/api/latest/Download/file?uri=mast:OPO/product/STSCI-H-p0918l-f-781x781.tif
Related Resources
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2009/18, http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2007/16
Metadata Date
2022-07-06T00:00:00
Metadata Version
1.2
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Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

×
Universescalefull
5,000,000,000 light years

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