Quasar in Virgo
This mundane looking star field in Virgo contains an object of historical and scientific importance--the quasar 3C273. It looks like a slightly bluish star, indentified by the arrow.
Quasars are incredibly bright and very far away. The distance of 3C273 is about 2 billion light years, making it one of the most distant objects that can be seen with an ordinary amateur telescope.
| Magnitude | 14.5 |
| Distance (light yrs) | 2 billion |
| Right Ascension | 12:29.1 |
| Declination | +2 03 |
Image details: 13 images, each 150 seconds at ISO 1600,
taken with a Canon 400D camera through a Meade
12” telescope at f/10.