And the two may be related because the current thinking is that a quasar is a black hole, with its brilliance resulting from the downward spiral of discrete matter into the black hole. At the peak in distribution, quasars are typically referred to as being 1,000 times more numerous than they are in the current era. Let's suppose that for the sake of argument the intrinsic luminosity of quasars falls into a rather narrow range. If we make this assumption, then the quasars which seem brightest from our perspective will probably be near the antipode, if there is one. The table below shows the quasar counts from the 8th edition of the Veron Catalogue of Quasars .
Notes explaining the data follow the table.
Absolute Magnitudes Abs. The relative distance of the quasar is derived by dividing its receding velocity by the speed of light. While the universe does not have zero density, the table is accurate enough to show the isotropic behavior of the quasars in intervals that approximate .01 distance increments. The actual brightness of the quasar. The Milky Way, for example, has an absolute magnitude of about -20.5.