Black hole-powered quasars are distant objects one billion times larger than the sun. Quasars emit energy that can rise to trillions of electron volts, exceeding the total output of all the stars in an ordinary galaxy.
Scientists used the James Webb Telescope to examine what part quasars played in the evolution of galaxies during these early times. Researchers will also use quasars to study gas in the intergalactic space of the universe.
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After the James Webb Telescope completes its commissioning period this summer, it will be tasked with several quasar programs. The Webb Telescope’s ideal perching position in space, coupled with its extreme sensitivity to low light and high resolution, will make for the most detailed series of observations of these elusive objects.
The James Webb telescope will look at the six most distant and luminous quasars to place these objects in the galaxy’s evolutionary timeline. Quasars will also be used to look at the distribution of gas between galaxies.
Scientists are interested in learning more about the period known as the reionization age. This epoch occurred 13 billion years ago, or less than a billion years after the universe formed.
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The galaxies of that era were largely opaque to energetic light and these objects were difficult to observe. “The team will use the quasar as a background light source to study the gas between us and the quasar,” Webb official said of the telescope’s technique for investigating the opaque zone.
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