In a breakthrough that pushes the boundaries of cosmic cartography, astronomers using China’s Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) have uncovered 1,982 quasars, including 1,338 newly identified bright cores of distant galaxies hidden behind the Milky Way’s dusty plane. This discovery, detailed in the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, fills a long-standing gap in the celestial map.
Quasars are the intense light beacons powered by supermassive black holes at the centers of active galaxies. By probing these objects, scientists can trace the large-scale structure of the universe, study early cosmic reionization, and refine models of galaxy formation and evolution.
“The dense clouds of gas and dust in the Galactic plane make it extremely challenging to spot quasars in this region,” explains Wu Xuebing, a professor at Peking University and the study’s lead author. “Leveraging LAMOST’s wide-field spectroscopic surveys, we overcome the hurdles of dust extinction and stellar crowding to reveal these hidden cosmic lighthouses.”
First author Huo Zhiying of the National Astronomical Observatories adds, “These quasars are more than just distant markers. They serve as precise tracers for mapping the chemistry and motion of interstellar gas in our own galaxy and help establish a robust astrometric reference frame near the Galactic plane.”
Looking ahead, the team plans to expand their spectroscopic campaigns, aiming to chart more elusive quasars in regions previously deemed inaccessible. As surveys like LAMOST continue to illuminate the universe’s hidden frontiers, each new quasar brings us closer to understanding the cosmos’ grand design.
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Chinese astronomers discover 1,300 new quasars behind Galactic plane
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