The opposite page shows a photograph of three quasars closely grouped around a large galaxy. The chance of these three quasars accidentally falling so close to a galaxy is between 10−5 and 10−7, that is about one chance in a million. This is an enormously interesting observation because the quasars, with high redshifts, are conventionally supposed to be far behind, and unrelated to the galaxy which has a much lower redshift. Nevertheless, there was an attempt to suppress the discovery and observation of these quasars. When finally submitted to the Astrophysical Journal, publication was held up nearly 1½ years. An anonymous referee stated, “The probability arguments are completely spurious.”

What is the truth about this matter? Are the quasars related to the galaxy or not? And why the emotion, intrigues, and deadly professional combat which the subject has inspired for the last 20 years? To answer these questions, I believe, gives insight into the state of knowledge in astronomy today and also illuminates the passions, prejudices, and power relations in a modern science. We can explore the consequences of this for human knowledge toward the end of this book, but first, let us just follow for a while the thread of one particular story, the history of the claimed association of quasars with galaxies.

In 1966 while checking galaxies in my newly completed Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, I noticed that radio sources, including some quasars, fell close to, and aligned across, some of the particularly disturbed galaxies.