We report the discovery of a narrow emission line object, probably a galaxy, with a redshift of 3.218. The object is a companion to the quasar PKS 1614 + 051, which is at a redshift of 3.209. This is the most distant non-QSO, non-gravitationally lensed object presently known by a large margin. Its properties are consistent with those expected of a high-redshift galaxy. This object has an age of only a few percent of the present age of the universe. The object was discovered with a novel technique, which promises to push studies of distant galaxies to redshifts as high as those of the most distant quasars known, and which may eventually lead to the discovery of primeval galaxies. This discovery opens the way for studies of galaxies beyond z = 3, which should prove invaluable for observational cosmology
