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Astronomers discover merging twin quasars

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2024-05-16 00:30:04

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Top: three-color (HSC r, i, and z-band) composite image around C1 and C2, the two reddest sources at the center. The inset shows an expanded view of C1 and C2. Bottom: two-dimensional FOCAS spectrum of C1 (upper trace of light) and C2 (lower trace), created by stacking all available data. Credit: Astrophysical Journal Letters (2024). DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad35c7

Using the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii, astronomers have detected a pair of merging quasars at a high redshift, as part of the Hyper SuprimeCam (HSC) Subaru Strategic Program (SPP) survey. The serendipitous discovery is reported in the latest issue of the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Quasars, or quasi-stellar objects (QSOs), are active galactic nuclei (AGN) of very high luminosity, emitting electromagnetic radiation observable in radio, infrared, visible, ultraviolet and X-ray wavelengths. They are among the brightest and most distant objects in the known universe, and serve as fundamental tools for numerous studies in astrophysics as well as cosmology.