Helium reionisation in the early Universe
This ultraviolet-light data from the Hubble Space Telescope's Cosmic Origins Spectrograph shows strong helium II absorption and transmission lines from a quasar, identifying an era 11.7 to 11.3 billion years ago when electrons were stripped from primeval helium atoms — a process called reionisation.
Credit:Shull et al., ApJ, 722: 1312-1324, October 20, 2010
About the Image
About the Object
Name: | HE 2347-4342, QSO B2347-4342 |
Type: | Early Universe : Galaxy : Activity : AGN : Quasar |
Distance: | z=2.885 (redshift) |
Category: | Galaxies |
Colours & filters
Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
---|---|---|
Ultraviolet Far-UV | 117 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
COS |