NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled breathtaking images of the quasar 3C 273, providing a clearer look at its supermassive black hole and surrounding environment. The new observations reveal complex structures within 16,000 light-years of the black hole, including blobs of varying sizes and a mysterious L-shaped filament.
The findings suggest that galactic cannibalism may play a crucial role in activating quasars, offering new insights into galaxy dynamics. The jet of material erupting from 3C 273 stretches over 300,000 light-years, traveling near light speed and emitting across the electromagnetic spectrum.
Hubble’s high-resolution imagery has reshaped our understanding of quasars as solitary light sources to deeply embedded galaxies undergoing dynamic transformation through mergers, collapses, and tidal chaos. The telescope’s observations are expected to sharpen our understanding of quasar structure and their influence on the early cosmos.
The next frontier in quasar research will be explored with the James Webb Space Telescope, which will penetrate dense regions near the black hole and reveal where stars are born. By combining Hubble’s legacy data with upcoming observations, astronomers hope to uncover valuable clues into the cosmic past.
Source: https://dailygalaxy.com/2025/04/hubble-captures-details-quasar-3c-273