3C 273

QUASAR · the first one identified

DISTANCE about 2.4 billion light yearsLUMINOSITY trillions of Suns

The object that introduced humanity to quasars. In 1963 astronomers realized this star like dot was unimaginably far away, which meant it had to outshine entire galaxies from a region smaller than our solar system. The answer: a supermassive black hole feeding, its meal glowing hotter than anything else in the universe. 3C 273 still shines bright enough for amateur telescopes.

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26,000 Light Years, the Galactic Center 3. The First Atoms 3. The Main Sequence Star 4.2 Light Years, the Nearest Star 4. The Dark Ages 4. The Red Giant All objects in the library