Simulations show it’s possible to distinguish host galaxy from quasars, although still challenging due to the galaxy’s small size on the sky.

The papers are published in The Astrophysical Journal and the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society and show that NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled for launch late next year, will reveal hidden galaxies.

Powerful lights called ‘quasars’ are the brightest objects in the universe. Powered by supermassive black holes up to a trillion times the mass of our Sun, they outshine entire galaxies of billions of stars.

Simulations led by Science PhD candidate, Madeline Marshall, show that while even NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope can’t see galaxies currently hidden by these quasars, the James Webb Telescope will be able to get past the glare.

«Webb will open up the opportunity to observe these very distant host galaxies for the first time,» said Ms Marshall, who conducted her research at the ARC Centre of Excellence in All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D).

«That can help us answer questions like: How can black holes grow so big so fast? Is there a relationship between the mass of the galaxy and the mass of the black hole, like we see in the nearby universe?»

Although quasars are known to reside at the centers of galaxies, it has been difficult to tell what those galaxies are like and how they compare to galaxies without quasars.

Story Source: Materials provided by University of Melbourne. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.