Exotic Objects

High redshift quasar Q1451-15

This quasar is the most remote object I have accomplished to catch with my telescope. With a red shift of 4.762 this object is located 91% of the way to the edge of the visible Universe, or 12 billion light years. The photons that landed on the CCD chip started their journey many billions of years before even the Solar System did exist, and the Universe itself was only a fraction of its current size. If this object was placed at a distance of 30 light years from us, it would shine many times brighter than the Sun, scorching the surface of the Earth and vaporizing the seas.

OPTICS: 10" Newtonian f/5.2
MOUNT: Losmandy G11 equatorial
CAMERA: Philips ToUCam Pro SC1 webcam
FILTERS: None
EXPOSURE: 27 x 121s
DATE/TIME: 10/06/2005 13:57 UTC
LOCATION: My backyard observatory in west Auckland, New Zealand