The Host Galaxies of the Brightest Quasars: Gas-Rich Galaxies, Mergers, and Young Stars

in The Messenger (2006), 124

Because they are faint and hidden in the glare of a much brighter unresolved source, quasar host galaxies still challenge the most powerful telescopes, instrumentation and processing techniques ... [more ▼]

Because they are faint and hidden in the glare of a much brighter unresolved source, quasar host galaxies still challenge the most powerful telescopes, instrumentation and processing techniques. Determining their basic morphological parameters and their integrated colours is feasible, but difficult, from imaging alone. However, detailed information on their stellar and gas contents and on their dynamics is achievable with deep spectroscopy. [less ▲]