 Quasars are the intensely powerful centers of distant active galaxies, powered by a huge disk of particles surrounding a supermassive black hole. As matter from the disk falls inward, some Quasars, including this one, have been observed to fire off superfast jets into the surrounding space. In this picture, one of these jets appears as a dusty streak measuring some 200,000 light years in length. Despite its great distance, 3C273 is still one of the closest Quasars to our home. It was the first Quasar ever to be identified and was discovered in the early 1960s. Quasars are capable of emitting hundreds or even thousands of times the entire energy output of our galaxy, making them some of the most luminous and energetic objects in the entire universe. Of these very bright objects, 3C273 is the brightest in our skies.