Concept in Definition ABC

The universe poses infinite possibilities and mysteries. Within this range, the term Quasar appears, which is based on celestial bodies formed by force electromagnetic.

Characteristics of a Quasar

Seen in a Photography, the picture quasar closely resembles that of an ordinary star, but the truth is that once you enter analyze certain details it is easy to discover certain peculiarities that suggest that quasars have a much more complex structure than that of stars.

Estimates that have been made about the size of quasars indicate that they should not be much larger than our own. Solar systemHowever, the radiation they emit is clearly higher than 100,000 stars together.

They are the most luminous objects known in the universe, although curiously, due to the great distance they are from Earth, the brightness that reaches us is very weak.

It is due to this remoteness that the celestial bodies are the most difficult to observe and study. It is therefore not surprising that the first quasar was not discovered until 1963, when the

astronomer Dutch Maarten Schmidt managed to identify quasar 3C 273, the object farthest from Earth that was known until then. The calculations that were made placed it at about 2,000 million light years, although later, thanks to the use of more modern techniques, this distance was corrected and increased. Thus, what we see today is not what quasars look like today, but what they looked like billions of years ago.

It is striking that when the distribution of quasars throughout space the conclusion that their number seemed to have decreased over time. If we take into account that the most advanced theories in the field place the age of the universe at about 15,000 million years, many experts agree in indicating that the number of quasars must have been much greater about 10 billion years ago and the universe was only one third of its dimensions current.

Finally, entering the field of scientific speculation, some theories regarding the origin of quasars propose the idea that these could be one of the first phases of the existence of a galaxy.

Photos: iStock - in-future / Manfred_Konrad

Themes in Quásar