{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.lyman-alpha-blob","code":"thing-q1552818","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q1552818/","name":"Lyman-alpha blob","alternateNames":[],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.1","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.SPC"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A huge concentration of hydrogen gas in the early universe emitting Lyman-alpha radiation, typically hundreds of thousands of light-years across and seen at high redshift, often associated with protoclusters, starburst galaxies or active galactic nuclei; their power source is debated among astronomers.","purpose":"Let an agent explain Lyman-alpha blobs, their discovery, proposed power sources and significance for galaxy formation, with attributed and dated findings.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Giant hydrogen gas clouds","Lyman-alpha emission","High redshift","Debated energy source"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"define","name":"Define","description":"What they are.","layers":[{"id":"emission","name":"Emission","description":"Lyman-alpha.","findings":[{"id":"emission-finding","name":"Emission","description":"Lyman-alpha emission.","questions":[{"text":"Why do these clouds emit Lyman-alpha radiation, and how is it observed at high redshift?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"How large and distant are they?","kind":"measurement"}]}]},{"id":"versus","name":"Versus","description":"Blobs versus emitters.","findings":[{"id":"versus-finding","name":"Versus","description":"Blobs versus emitters.","questions":[{"text":"How do Lyman-alpha blobs differ from ordinary Lyman-alpha emitters?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is there a size threshold?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"power","name":"Power","description":"Energy sources.","layers":[{"id":"models","name":"Models","description":"Proposed mechanisms.","findings":[{"id":"models-finding","name":"Models","description":"Proposed mechanisms.","questions":[{"text":"Which mechanisms are proposed to power blobs, such as starbursts, active nuclei or cooling flows, and by whom?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"What evidence supports each?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"polarisation","name":"Polarisation","description":"Key observations.","findings":[{"id":"polarisation-finding","name":"Polarisation","description":"Key observations.","questions":[{"text":"What did polarisation measurements reveal about scattering in blobs?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which telescopes made the observations?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"discovery","name":"Discovery","description":"History.","layers":[{"id":"first","name":"First","description":"First blobs.","findings":[{"id":"first-finding","name":"First","description":"First blobs.","questions":[{"text":"When and where were the first Lyman-alpha blobs found?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which are the largest known?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"Protoclusters.","findings":[{"id":"context-finding","name":"Context","description":"Protoclusters.","questions":[{"text":"How are blobs linked to protoclusters and galaxy formation?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"What do simulations predict?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"learn","name":"Learn","description":"Explaining.","layers":[{"id":"explain","name":"Explain","description":"Plain language.","findings":[{"id":"explain-finding","name":"Explain","description":"Plain explanation.","questions":[{"text":"How can Lyman-alpha blobs be explained simply and accurately?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Which caveats apply?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"data","name":"Data","description":"Surveys.","findings":[{"id":"data-finding","name":"Data","description":"Surveys.","questions":[{"text":"Which surveys and catalogues list blobs?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"How can the data be accessed?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Describe Lyman-alpha blobs from published astronomical research.","Report catalogue designations and redshifts as published."],"mustNot":["Present tentative interpretations of a blob's power source as established.","Invent observations or catalogue entries."],"requiresHuman":["Announcing a new discovery on behalf of a research team."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Science communication must separate data from interpretation.","Research credit belongs to the observers who made the finding."],"affectedParties":["Researchers","The public"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody owns the object; research teams publish observations.","roles":[],"masterSystems":["Astronomical object databases"]},"relations":[{"target":"Q1074920","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Lyman-alpha emitter","type":"related","note":"category"},{"target":"ultraluminous X-ray source","type":"related","note":"other high-energy phenomenon"},{"target":"celestial body","type":"related","note":"broader class"},{"target":"extragalactic astronomy","type":"related","note":"field"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.lyman-alpha-blob","Wikidata: Q1552818 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1552818)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["Rest-frame emission wavelength: Approximately 121.6 nanometres - Hydrogen Lyman-alpha emission has this characteristic rest-frame wavelength, while the observed wavelength increases with cosmological redshift.","Projected physical extent:  light-years - Extent is inferred from the angular size of detected emission and the cosmological distance, with the boundary depending on observational sensitivity.","Lyman-alpha luminosity:  watts - Luminosity is inferred from integrated line flux and luminosity distance, with corrections depending on absorption and observational coverage."]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["Extended Lyman-alpha emission","Located in dense regions at high redshift","Compact Lyman-alpha emitters are smaller","Not visible to the eye; extended glowing clouds in narrow-band images at high redshift."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain what Lyman-alpha blobs are","summarise proposed power sources with attribution","describe key discoveries","find survey data"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Presenting debated mechanisms as settled","Confusing blobs with compact emitters"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["No specific regulation"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Studying galaxy formation in the early universe.","blobs powered by starbursts","blobs powered by active nuclei","blobs powered by cooling gas","giant blobs in protoclusters"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q1552818: Lyman-alpha blob","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1552818","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Lyman-alpha blob","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyman-alpha_blob","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should notable blobs be separate entries?","How should surveys be linked?","How should competing models be attributed?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q1552818/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q1552818/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-11T15:39:38Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:26+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}