The quasar 3C 273

Journal Article · Sat Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · Scientific American; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0691-50· OSTI ID:5156520

Courvoisier, T J.L.; Robson, E I

Since quasars were first identified some 28 years ago, astronomers have come to realize that quasars are the cores of extremely active galaxies. Quasars are unmatched in luminosity and hence are the most distant objects that can be detected in the universe. One of the most important discoveries about quasars is that their luminosity can vary greatly over periods of less than a year. This variability led investigators to the conclusion that the tremendous energy of quasars is radiated from a region many times smaller than the cores of ordinary galaxies. Quasars are powered by the gravitational energy that is released as gas and dust fall toward their massive, dense centers. Some of this energy channels particles into beams, blasting material out into the host galaxy at speeds close to that of light. Most of the energy is converted into radiation by a wide range of physical processes, probably occurring at different distances from the core. Yet quasars exhibit many phenomena that cannot be explained, and they remain one of the most puzzling objects in the universe. On the whole, more is known about 3C 273 than any other quasar. It possess a very wide range of properties, not all of which are shared by all quasars. The wealth of activity displayed by 3C 273, however, is a key in helping astronomers understand the phenomena at work in quasars.

• OSTI ID: 5156520
• Journal Information: Scientific American; (United States), Journal Name: Scientific American; (United States) Vol. 264:6; ISSN SCAMA; ISSN 0036-8733
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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640102* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
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COORDINATES
COSMIC GASES
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
DISTANCE
DYNAMICS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
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PLASMA JETS
QUASARS
RADIATIONS
RADIO GALAXIES
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
RED SHIFT
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RELATIVITY THEORY
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