The 3C 273 Galaxy is located at a distance of 2.4 billion light years from Earth. This galaxy is a quasar, which means it is the nucleus of a galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its center. This black hole swallows the material around it, and a huge amount of radiation comes out of it.
According to the researchers, this galaxy is often observed with telescopes, as it can be used as a reference point in the sky. 3C273 is a radio lighthouse, in other words.
Why hasn’t this galaxy been observed yet despite its radio emission? When astronomers look at bright objects in the sky through a telescope, it is much like the bright glare of car headlights making it difficult for you to notice dark surroundings. Astronomers use dynamic range telescopes like ALMA to see both the bright and dark parts to overcome this problem. Radio telescopes have difficulty seeing objects with very high contrast.
This study was published in the Astrophysical Journal published Has been done
The study’s lead author Shinya Komugi said the discovery opens new avenues for research on problems previously addressed by optical light studies. Komugi said the researchers want to learn more about how galaxies grow through interactions with the core nucleus.