No, but there were some good guesses. In the end new observations were needed to help crack the code. To find out what an unknown object is we take more data, at different wavelengths. So, we recently got a near-infrared spectrum of this object from the Keck Observatory. In this spectrum, we could see a particular feature, an emission line of hydrogen, which is a sign of a quasar.
Absorption lines are dark regions of an object's spectrum.
In the spectra of some quasars these regions are quite wide. It is believed that they are surrounded by clouds of gas which absorb some of the quasar's light. So it would seem that the mystery has been solved, but what if there was another explanation. We have images taken of this object from many different times, and it has not moved or changed brightness. He also runs his own astronomy education business, Star Class - Astronomy Education .