Cosmic Powerhouses Dwell In Humble Galactic Homes

Hokupa'a near-infrared K' band imaging of adaptive optics (AO) guide star (left panel), and of quasar and host galaxy (central panel) at redshift z = 1.93. This is the only quasar out of nine that were imaged with Gemini that showed a faint host galaxy detected. The panel on the right shows the radial light profile. The points falls above the smooth line which correspond to the stellar profile of the AO guide star. This excess flux betrays the faint host galaxy.