Astronomy Picture of the Day . Why is QSO 1229+204 so Bright? ... Credit: J. Hutchings ( DAO ), NASA Explanation: What causes the center of this barred spiral galaxy to light up brighter than almost anything in the universe? ... Not only was QSO 1229+204 at the core of an unusual barred spiral galaxy, but this galaxy was in the process of colliding with a dwarf galaxy . Gas from this collision quite possibly fuels a supermassive black hole causing QSO 1229+204 to shine so brightly. ...