Quasars

Quasars are some of the brightest things in the universe. They shine brighter than whole galaxies. A quasar is powered by a giant black hole at the center of a galaxy. The black hole pulls in gas and dust, which heats up and glows. Quasars are very, very far from Earth.

Powerful Engines

The black hole inside a quasar can be billions of times heavier than our Sun. As material falls into the black hole, it spins faster and gets hot. This creates huge amounts of light. Some quasars also shoot out powerful jets of particles. The jets can stretch for thousands of light-years.

Looking Back in Time

Most quasars are billions of light-years away. That means we see them as they looked long ago. The light we see today left the quasar before Earth was even born. Studying quasars helps scientists learn about the young universe. They are like time machines for astronomers.

Fun Facts

• The name 'quasar' comes from 'quasi-stellar radio source.'
• The first quasar was found in 1963.
• Some quasars shine brighter than a trillion suns.

Did You Know?

The most distant known quasar is more than 13 billion light-years away, so we see it as it was when the universe was very young.