Quasars are among the most distant objects yet detected in the universe. Astronomers determine how distant a quasar is by measuring its red shift. Red shift is a shift in the wavelength of light given off by an astronomical object toward the longer, or red, wavelengths of the object's spectrum. It indicates an object is moving away from the earth. The more distant the object is, the larger is its red shift.
All quasars have large red shifts.
See Red shift. Quasars give off enormous amounts of energy in the form of visible light, ultraviolet light, infrared rays, X rays, gamma rays, and in some cases, radio waves. Energy from quasars takes billions of years to reach the earth. For this reason, the study of quasars can provide information about early stages of the universe. Quasars were first identified in 1963 by a group of astronomers at the Palomar Observatory, near San Diego.