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Quasar 3C 273

Quasar 3C 273

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    12h 29m 6.7s
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    02° 3' 9.0"
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Virgo
  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    1.9 billion light-years (580 megaparsecs)
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    The ACS image is roughly 30 arcseconds (275 kly or 85 kiloparsecs) in width.

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.

    Principal Astronomers, WFPC2 data: J. Bahcall (IAS)

  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    HST>WFPC2
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    June 4, 1994, Exposure Time: 30 minutes
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F606W (V)
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    3C 273
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Quasar
  • Release Date
    January 9, 2003
  • Science Release
    Hubble Probes the Heart of a Nearby Quasar
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA and J. Bahcall (IAS)

Downloads

  • 477 × 572
    jpg (189.92 KB)
  • 477 × 572
    tif (388.53 KB)
  • 200 × 200
    jpg (6.67 KB)
  • 333 × 400
    jpg (18.13 KB)

Related Images & Videos

Nearby Quasar 3C 273

Nearby Quasar 3C 273

Hubble Probes the Heart of a Nearby Quasar

Hubble Probes the Heart of a Nearby Quasar

NASA Hubble Space Telescope's new Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) has provided the clearest visible-light view yet of the nearby quasar 3C 273. The ACS' coronagraph was used to block the light from the brilliant central quasar, revealing that the quasar's host galaxy is...

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Details

Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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