quasar

Thân thiện

A powerful quasar shines brightly at the center of a distant galaxy.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A starlike celestial object: A quasar is an extremely luminous and distant active galactic nucleus. It appears star-like ("quasi-stellar") in optical telescopes but emits enormous amounts of energy across various wavelengths, including radio waves.
   • Characterized by large red shifts: The observed large red shift of a quasar's light indicates it is moving away from Earth at very high speed, placing it at a great distance, and thus providing a view into the early universe.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Astronomers discovered a new quasar with a record-breaking red shift.
  • The immense energy output of a quasar is thought to be powered by a supermassive black hole at its center.

Advanced Usage

• "Quasar science": The field of astronomy dedicated to studying these objects.
  • His research focuses on quasar science and early galaxy formation.

Variants and Related Words

• Quasi-stellar object (QSO) (n): Another term for a quasar, especially for those with weak radio emission.
  • Some astronomers use the term QSO to describe radio-quiet quasars.

Synonyms

• QSO (Quasi-Stellar Object): A direct synonym.
• Blazar: A related type of active galactic nucleus with a jet pointed almost directly at Earth.
• Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN): The broader category of energetic galactic cores, which includes quasars.

Related Phrases

• "Quasar host galaxy": The galaxy within which a quasar resides.
  • The Hubble telescope helped image the faint quasar host galaxy.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a starlike object that may send out radio waves and other forms of energy; many have large red shifts

Từ đồng nghĩa

• quasi-stellar radio source