quasar
quasar — noun
- quasarsingular
- quasarsplural
1. an intensely bright object at the core of a distant galaxy, powered by a superma
an intensely bright object at the core of a distant galaxy, powered by a supermassive black hole and giving off enormous amounts of energy, including radio waves and visible light
Dewi learned that a single quasar can outshine its entire host galaxy.
quasar can outshine entire galaxy
The team detected a quasar more than twelve billion light-years from Earth.
Eli explained how a quasar draws its immense power from a black hole.
Astronomers use quasars as distant beacons to map the early universe.
The quasar in galaxy M87 fires out jets of material at nearly light speed.
- quasi-stellar object
the formal, full name from which 'quasar' is shortened; used mainly in older scientific writing
- active galactic nucleus
a broader category; quasars are the most luminous type, but not all active galactic nuclei are quasars