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

NASA press release
Id:opo1031b
Type:Chart
Release date:7 October 2010, 15:00
Size:2273 x 1368 px

About the Object

Name:HE 2347-4342, QSO B2347-4342
Type:Early Universe : Galaxy : Activity : AGN : Quasar
Distance:z=2.885 (redshift)
Category:Galaxies

Image Formats

r.titleLarge JPEG
268.3 KB
r.titleScreensize JPEG
96.4 KB

Colours & filters

BandWavelengthTelescope
Ultraviolet
Far-UV
117 nm Hubble Space Telescope
COS

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