The Redshift of an Extremely Red Object and the Nature of the Very Red Galaxy Population

Infrared surveys have discovered a significant population of bright (K6) objects. Little is known about the properties of these objects on account of their optical faintness (R>24). Here, we report deep infrared imaging and spectroscopy of one of the extremely red objects (EROs) discovered by Hu \ this is consistent with either the starburst or AGN hypothesis. If HR10 is a typical representative of its class, EROs are numerous and represent a significant component of the luminous objects in the Universe at z approx 1.5.