Colossal Quasar Clump Too Huge to Exist, in Theory
17:01 minutes
Astronomers have discovered a clump of 73 quasars that spans four billion light years at its widest point—that’s like 40,000 Milky Way galaxies lined end-to-end. The only problem? Theory says the quasar cluster is too big to exist. Astronomer Gerard Williger and reporter Ron Cowen discuss this cosmological oddity, and other news about the cosmos.
Segment Guests
Ron Cowen
Ron Cowen is a freelance astronomy and physics reporter based in Silver Spring, Maryland. He’s the author of Gravity’s Century: From Einstein’s Eclipse to Images of Black Holes (2019, Harvard Press)
Gerard Williger
Gerard Williger is an adjunct professor at the University of Nice in France and an associate professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky.
Meet the Producer
About Christopher Intagliata
@cintagliataChristopher Intagliata was Science Friday’s senior producer. He once served as a prop in an optical illusion and speaks passable Ira Flatowese.