That corresponds to when the universe was 900 million years old, according to conventional cosmological calculations. That means it took 12.9 billion years for the light from that quasar to reach Earth, making it one of the most distant quasars ever discovered. In images from the Hubble and other telescopes, the quasar was surrounded by myriad faint objects. The objects were selected for further study based partly on their very red colors and other spectral characteristics, he said. But faint galaxies are 10 to 100 times more plentiful on the sky, Dr. Dressler said, “so you can start making a good ‘picture’ of the web.”

Source: International New York Times October 01, 2020 06:56 UTC