Sky & Telescope - April 2022 - 59

Quasar 1
Quasar 5
of 17.8. Using my 32-inch f/4 reflector
from my home in rural Minnesota
in good conditions, I can readily see to
that level. For my observations, I made a
list that included images of 14 of the 73
Huge-LQG quasars, all readily visible on
National Geographic Society - Palomar
Observatory Sky Survey red plates.
I noticed on almost all the POSS2
Quasar 6
Quasar 8
pQUEST FOR QUASARS You'll need access to a large scope and dark skies to catch a glimpse
of these distant objects. If you manage to spot them, remind yourself that you're looking at only a
few elements of a vast formation in the early universe. North is up and each image is 10′ × 10′.
At least four other datasets have challenged
the standard model within the
last few years. All of them hint at structures
at near-gigaparsec (3.26 billion
light-years) dimensions. These include
quasar polarization vectors; directional
flow of dark matter, or so-called cosmic
flows; supervoids; and ultracompact
radio sources. In 2013, gamma-ray
bursts were used to map the HerculesCorona
Borealis Great Wall, defining an
entity twice as large as any seen before.
A 2016 discussion of the Huge-LQG's
compatibility with the ΛCDM model
concluded that it was just possibly
concordant, though its rarity made it
a statistical stretch. Going further, in
2018 a team performed computer simulations
of randomly distributed quasars
and showed that about 10% resulted
in similar groupings to the Huge-LQG.
Theoretical and observational astronomers
are working closely to refine
observations of these structures, while
debating their impacts on existing theory.
The most extreme possibility hints
that a new set of principles is needed to
explain the discordant findings, a case
that if true guarantees employment to
the next generation of cosmologists.
Observing Quasars
I've been interested in observing
quasars since the 1980s and have seen
several at redshifts greater than 5.3.
But it was not until I learned about
the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic
Survey, an international collaboration
to map objects in the early universe,
that I considered quasar groups or
clusters important targets. My attention
was drawn to Clowes' discovery of the
Huge-LQG and the brightest quasars
in that study, which had a magnitude
images that galaxy groups either surrounded
the quasar or were just off
to the side. This fact correlated with
Clowes' comments about the quasars
being in or at the periphery of the clusters,
and how gravitational effects could
activate them. I made finder charts
using Megastar, and from my home I set
up to observe at about 3:30 a.m. CST on
November 26, 2016. The temperature
hovered several degrees below freezing,
and in 90 minutes I was able to see only
a trio of quasars with visual magnitudes
of 18.5, 18.9, and 19.0. In Clowes' paper
they were #5, #6, and #8, all clustering
within 18′ of 52 Leo, a 5.5-magnitude
star on a line connecting Theta
(θ) and Alpha (α) Leonis. Quasar #8,
for instance, is surrounded by eight
faint galaxies on the POSS2 red plate.
Although I didn't see the galaxies that
night, in perfect conditions I should
have. (I concluded a quartet of quasars
when I spotted #1 in Clowes' list, an
18.2-magnitude object, several years
later at the 2018 Texas Star Party.)
On November 27th, the morning
held a thick blanket of fog. Hoarfrost
covered computer screens and grass and
trees. It was beautiful but totally incompatible
with Huge-LQG observing. My
goal had been to observe a sample of the
73 Huge-LQG quasars, including some
of the faintest, to show that all may be
visible. Coincidentally, two other LQGs
that Clowes found sit just a few degrees
away from the Huge-LQG bunch. Amateurs
with large reflectors can view these
stealthy beacons of change and follow
theorists wrestling with new data about
the universe's structure - all while pondering
these profound questions.
¢DAVE TOSTESON is looking forward
to traveling more in retirement, both here
on Earth and throughout the universe.
sk yand tele scope .o r g * APRIL 2022 59
POSS-II / STSCI / CALTECH / PALOMAR OBSERVATORY (4)

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Sky & Telescope - April 2022

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