Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Gamma-Ray Quasar

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 26, 1998 is “Gamma-Ray Quasar,” an image. It is credited to Credit: EGRET team, Compton Observatory, NASA. The original explanation runs about 118 words.

Gamma-Ray Quasar
Credit: EGRET team, Compton Observatory, NASA Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“The bright object in the center of the false color image above is quasar 3C279 viewed in gamma-rays , photons with more than 40 million times the energy of visible light. Like all quasars, 3C279 is a nondescript, faint, star-like object in the visible sky .”

— APOD editors, December 26, 1998

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
December 26, 1998
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: EGRET team, Compton Observatory, NASA
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 118 words

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.