ancient light in Lynx quasar

[nytecam]

Here's my recent pic of a quasar in the constellation of Lynx [between the 'Plough' and Gemini Twins Castor + Pollux] and called anonomously APM08279+5255. It's the remotest object in space that can be seen in a large amateur telescope and appears as a faint star - it's light has taken 12 billion years to reach us so its photons began their journey long before earth existed

I've added a timeline to put this amazing object into perpective - most WAB content is 'recent' by comparison

[Bruce Williams]

Not visually interesting in the same way as (for example) a planetary nebula is - but more than incredible when you consider just what it is you are looking at! The time line is helpful too.

Bruce

[Richard Baber]

Very impressive! Numbers this large are more than my head can relate to, but the timeline certainly helps.

So 12 billion years ago this was a massively powerful galaxy. Presumably it's quietened down now, or burnt out completely? Sorry if this is a daft question but I'm no cosmologist.

Thanks, Richard

[nytecam]

Originally Posted by Richard Baber

Very impressive! Numbers this large are more than my head can relate to, but the timeline certainly helps.
So 12 billion years ago this was a massively powerful galaxy. Presumably it's quietened down now, or burnt out completely? Sorry if this is a daft question but I'm no cosmologist. Thanks, Richard

Richard - we won't know how a galaxy is performing until its light reaches earth so what the Lynx quasar is doing tonight is a 12BY wait In all probablility it's still there beaming out its energy. Much as our airless moon still has the crater strikes we see tonight from it formation 4.5BY ago, galaxies too last almost an eternity.

[Richard Baber]

Originally Posted by nytecam

Richard - we won't know how a galaxy is performing until its light reaches earth so what the Lynx quasar is doing tonight is a 12BY wait In all probablility it's still there beaming out its energy. Much as our airless moon still has the crater strikes we see tonight from it formation 4.5BY ago, galaxies too last almost an eternity.

Thanks. Rather a long time to wait to find out.

Richard

[Tringa]

Thanks for this Nytecam. I find it quite mindblowing that we can look at light/information/events that happened not only before we first appeared, but even before the Earth appeared.

Dave