The tiny spot of light known as 3C-147 looked no different from the countless millions of dim stars that can be picked out by the giant, 200-in. telescope on top of Mount Palomar. But when astronomers from Caltech's radio observatory reported that their 90-ft. dish antennas were picking up powerful radio waves from 3C-147's faint gleam, Palomar's men decided to make a closer examination.
Astronomer Maarten Schmidt focused Palomar's big scope on the strange source of electromagnetic noise. By using very long exposures, he photographed 3C-147's spectrum—the rainbow of lines and hues...
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