Quasar IRAS 13218+0552
Hubble has captured evidence of a dance between two merging galaxies. The galaxies may have orbited each other several times before merging, leaving distinct loops of glowing gas around quasar IRAS13218+0552. The quasar is 2 billion light-years from Earth. The elongated core in the center of the image may comprise the two nuclei of the merging galaxies.
Credit:About the Image
About the Object
| Name: | IRAS 13218+0552, QSO B1321+058 |
| Type: | Early Universe : Galaxy : Activity : AGN : Quasar |
| Distance: | z=0.205 (redshift) |
| Category: | Quasars and Black Holes |
Colours & filters
| Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
|---|---|---|
| Optical V | 606 nm |
Hubble Space Telescope
WFPC2 |