What is a Quasar?

Bright Stars

The mysterious quasars (KWAY sahrs) are intensely bright, star like objects on the edge of the universe.  One of the big mysteries about the quasars is what they are.  

Not stars and not galaxies (groups of stars), quasars have baffled scientists since they were discovered in the early 1960s.  

A quasar is many times brighter than an entire galaxy and a strong emitter of radio waves.  When first discovered, scientists called them quasi-sellers, meaning “somewhat star like” radio sources.

The  name was later shortened to “quasar.”  One thought is that a quasar is a kind of super atomic furnace, too hot to be solid.  It is a huge ball of gases that glow with a brilliant light and sent out strong radio signals.  

A typical quasar may be millions of times bigger and brighter that the sun.  Quasars are so far from the earth that they can only be seen through the largest telescope. – Dick Rogers