QSO J0303-0019
Encyclopedia
QSO J0303-0019 is a distant quasar
in the z
≥6 regime. It is one of the first two quasars discovered that appear to be "dust-free", the other being QSO J0005-0006
.
On 17 March 2010, Xiaohui Fan
, an astronomer at the University of Arizona
, leader of the team that made the discovery, announced the discovery of two quasars that have dustless spectra. The implication of this result is that the region of space in which they inhabit is primordially pristine, having not been polluted by "dust" created by the first star
s. These are thought to represent the earliest type of quasar. They also announced the next earliest class of quasar, where dust is detected in proportion to the growth of the galaxy
. In more recent quasars, dust is not related to the quasar or galaxy.
Quasar
A quasi-stellar radio source is a very energetic and distant active galactic nucleus. Quasars are extremely luminous and were first identified as being high redshift sources of electromagnetic energy, including radio waves and visible light, that were point-like, similar to stars, rather than...
in the z
Redshift
In physics , redshift happens when light seen coming from an object is proportionally increased in wavelength, or shifted to the red end of the spectrum...
≥6 regime. It is one of the first two quasars discovered that appear to be "dust-free", the other being QSO J0005-0006
QSO J0005-0006
QSO J0005-0006 is a distant quasar in the ~z≥6 regime. It is one of the first two quasars discovered that appear to be "dust-free", the other being QSO J0303-0019...
.
On 17 March 2010, Xiaohui Fan
Xiaohui Fan
Xiaohui Fan is an American astronomer, and professor at University of Arizona.He graduated from Nanjing University with a BS, 1992, from Chinese Academy of Sciences with a MS in 1995, and from Princeton University with a Ph...
, an astronomer at the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
, leader of the team that made the discovery, announced the discovery of two quasars that have dustless spectra. The implication of this result is that the region of space in which they inhabit is primordially pristine, having not been polluted by "dust" created by the first star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
s. These are thought to represent the earliest type of quasar. They also announced the next earliest class of quasar, where dust is detected in proportion to the growth of the galaxy
Galaxy
A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
. In more recent quasars, dust is not related to the quasar or galaxy.