quasar
UK /ˈkweɪ.zɑː/ · US /ˈkweɪ.zɑɹ/ noun
Forms quasars
- noun (astronomy) An extragalactic object, starlike in appearance, that is among the most luminous and (putatively) the most distant objects in the universe.
Synonyms
Q QSO quasi-stellar object quasistellar object QSR quasi-stellar radio source quasistellar radio-source quasi-stellar radio-source quasistellar radio source blue stellar object BSO QSS quasi-stellar source quasistellar source
Etymology
Blend of quasi- + stellar, from quasi-stellar radio source. Coined by American astrophysicist Hong-Yee Chiu in 1964 in an article in Physics Today. By surface analysis, quasi- + -ar.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “quasar”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details