A Primodrial Quasar . ... STECF ), ESO , ESA , NASA Explanation: What did the first quasars look like? ... Gas and dust that falls toward a quasar glows brightly, sometimes outglowing the entire home galaxy. The quasars that formed in the first billion years of the universe are more mysterious, though, with even the nature of the surrounding gas still unknown. ... Exacting observations of three distant quasars now indicate emission of very specific colors of the element iron . ...