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Energy recovery in Formula One

Q is for quasar

When quasars were first discovered and named 50 years ago, they presented many puzzles. In the course of discussing the meaning of their odd name, this article describes how controversy about quasars was linked to differing ideas about the nature of the universe, and sets out the currently accepted explanation of these objects

Graphic of an accretion disk around a black hole (a quasar)

The terms in bold link to topics in the AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC and CCEA A-level specifications, as well as the IB, Pre-U and SQA specifications.

Measurements of quasar redshifts deduced from their emission line spectra, and their interpretation using Hubble’s law, helped to produce evidence relating to the Big Bang and Steady State theories of the universe.

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