Discovery of a binary quasar

The radio map and visible-light image of the binary quasar QQ 1145-071. The two components are labeled as A and B. The right-hand picture, obtained with a charge-coupled device detector at the European Southern Observatory, La Silla, Chile, is the first observational evidence of the binary nature of the object. The picture to the left, showing radio emission in only the A component, allows astronomers to rule out the gravitational lens hypothesis in favour of the genuine binary character of the double source. (ESO Press Release eso8712; BW)