quasar

noun

qua·​sar ˈkwā-ˌzär 

also -ˌsär

: a region at the center of a galaxy that produces an extremely large amount of radiation

Examples of quasar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The supermassive black hole in question is powering a type of quasar called a blazar. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Turnshek’s research as an astronomer has primarily focused on galaxy formation and quasars, the luminous cores of distant, ancient galaxies. — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026

Recent surveys have continued discovering quasars that formed less than a billion years after the Big Bang, helping astronomers understand how the earliest supermassive black holes grew so quickly. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 6 Aug. 2026

But now, the European Space Agency's Euclid Space Telescope has identified a clutch of primordial quasars, dating to some 13 billion years ago—putting them among the oldest of these objects ever found in the universe. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 7 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

quasi-stellar

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

quasar

noun

qua·​sar ˈkwā-ˌzär 

also -ˌsär

: any of the very distant starlike heavenly objects that give off very strong blue and ultraviolet light and powerful radio waves