University of Washington astronomer Craig Hogan underscored the significance of quasars. Ironically, the brightest things in the universe provide probes for even the emptiest parts of intergalactic space. From the beginning, scientists had planned to use the neighboring 3.5-meter telescope at Apache Point Observatory to investigate interesting objects culled from the huge lists generated each night by the smaller Sky Survey telescope. It has proven the vision that many of us had for the synergy between the two telescopes. For each one, they measure the intensity of five colors of light passing through the camera.
Astronomers can then separate stars from quasars by their distinctive colors.
At Friday's meeting in Chicago, standing before a distinguished gathering of senior astronomers, Fan presented the data with a sense of their momentous foreshadowing. We have found the most distant quasars quite easily, after people have been searching for them for decades. We can look forward to many years of good science. Participating institutions in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey include The University of Chicago, Fermilab, the Institute for Advanced Study, the Japan Participation Group, The Johns Hopkins University, Princeton University, the United States Naval Observatory and the University of Washington. Apache Point Observatory, site of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, is owned by the Astrophysical Research Consortium, a nonprofit corporation consisting of seven research institutions, and is operated by New Mexico State University.