This is a previous optical image of one of the approximately 200 quasars captured in the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) "first light" exposure is shown at top, with the BOSS spectrum of the object at bottom. The spectrum allows astronomers to determine the object's redshift. With millions of such spectra, BOSS will measure the geometry of the Universe. Credit: David Hogg, Vaishali Bhardwaj, and Nic Ross of SDSS-III | Universe Today