Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Quasar 3C 273 shines from 2.5 billion light-years away, powered by a ravenous supermassive black hole at its core.
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
Hubble used its spectrograph as a coronagraph, dimming the quasar’s glare to expose what’s been hiding around it.
Mysterious blobs and a strange L-shaped filament now appear near the core — possible signs of galaxies being devoured.
Astronomers believe 3C 273 is cannibalizing satellite galaxies — feeding its quasar fire and reshaping itself in the process.
Credit: NASA
A staggering 300,000-light-year jet spews from its core, outshining entire galaxies and possibly gaining speed over time.
The quasar’s energy output stirs surrounding gas and dust, influencing how galaxies grow, collapse, or burst into stars.
Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser
No longer seen as isolated lights, quasars are dynamic engines nestled in chaotic, merging galaxies.
3C 273’s ancient light acts as a cosmic postcard from the early universe, revealing black hole growth across eons.
Representative pic
Hubble’s view is just the start — the James Webb Space Telescope will now peer deeper into the dusty secrets quasars hide.