Nearest Quasar -

| Object | Type | Distance | Notes | |--------|------|----------|-------| | | Quasar | 581 million ly | True quasar; hosts powerful, persistent accretion disk & outflows | | 3C 273 | Quasar | 2.4 billion ly | Brighter and more famous, but not nearest | | Sagittarius A * | Supermassive black hole | 26,000 ly | Our galaxy's center; not a quasar (extremely low luminosity today) | | Centaurus A | Radio galaxy / AGN | 10–16 million ly | Nearest powerful AGN, but not a quasar (jet-dominated, nucleus obscured) |

The nearest known quasar to Earth is ULAS J1342+0928, which is about 1.34 billion light-years away. This quasar is significant not only for its proximity but also for the insights it provides into the early universe. The light we see from ULAS J1342+0928 today has been traveling through space for about 1.34 billion years, giving us a glimpse of what the universe looked like in the distant past. nearest quasar

Markarian 231 is not just a typical quasar; it is an that is currently undergoing a violent merger process. | Object | Type | Distance | Notes

Quasar Host Galaxy Markarian 231. This Hubble Space Telescope image reveals a bright starlike glow in the center of the interactin... NASA Science (.gov) Where is the nearest quasar? | Homework.Study.com Answer and Explanation: The nearest quasar is located 600 million light-years away from Earth. It is found at the core of the Mrk ... Homework.Study.com Quasar - Wikipedia "Quasi-stellar object" redirects here; not to be confused with Quasi-star or Quaoar. * A quasar (/ˈkweɪzɑːr/ KWAY-zar) is an extre... Wikipedia Quasars: Brightest Objects in the Universe - Space 19 Oct 2023 — Markarian 231 is not just a typical quasar;

What makes Mrk 231 even more fascinating is its "double heart." Data from the NASA Science Hubble Space Telescope suggests the quasar is actually powered by dancing around each other. One black hole is estimated to be 150 million times the mass of our sun, while its smaller companion is about 4 million solar masses. This binary system likely resulted from the merger of two galaxies, a process that fuels the quasar’s intense brilliance. The Brightest Neighbor: 3C 273 Quasar Host Galaxy Markarian 231 - NASA Science

At its heart lies a supermassive black hole with an estimated mass of (some studies suggest up to 150 million, but the lower range is more common). This black hole is actively accreting gas and dust, forming an accretion disk that outshines the entire host galaxy's stars in some wavelengths.