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quasar - 5 dictionary results
qua⋅sar
[kwey-zahr, -zer, -sahr, -ser] 
–noun Astronomy.
| one of over a thousand known extragalactic objects, starlike in appearance and having spectra with characteristically large redshifts, that are thought to be the most distant and most luminous objects in the universe. |
Also called quasi-stellar object.
Origin:
1960–65; quas(i-stell)ar, in quasi-stellar radio source, the first type of quasar discovered
1960–65; quas(i-stell)ar, in quasi-stellar radio source, the first type of quasar discovered
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To quasar
| qua·sar (kwā'zär', -sär', -zər, -sər) n. An extremely distant, and thus old, celestial object whose power output is several thousand times that of our entire galaxy. [quas(i-stellar) + (st)ar.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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quasar
1964, from "quas(i-stell)ar radio source" (1963).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Language Translation for : quasar
Spanish:
quasar,
German:
der Quasar,
Japanese:
準星
| quasar (kwā'zär') Pronunciation Key
Short for quasi-stellar radio source. A compact, starlike celestial body with a power output greater than our entire galaxy. Believed to be the oldest and most distant objects ever detected, quasars are billions of light-years from Earth and moving away from us at nearly 80 percent of the speed of light. For this reason, quasars are highly important to astronomers' understanding of the early universe. Little is currently understood about the nature of quasars; one theory suggests that they are produced by giant black holes destroying enormous amounts of matter, causing the subsequent ejection of radiation along their north and south poles. Many astronomers believe that quasars represent an early stage in the evolution of galaxies such as our own. See also blazar, Seyfert galaxy. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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| quasar quasi-stellar object |
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
