KWAY-zar
QUASAR is a quasi-stellar radio source—an extremely luminous astronomical object powered by supermassive black holes at galactic centers, appearing star-like but radiating energy across the electromagnetic spectrum.
15
Points in Scrabble
Base tile values • No multipliers applied
💡 Pro Tip:
QUASAR is a premium Q-word worth memorizing! With Q (10 pts) leading the charge, this astronomical term delivers exceptional value. The standard Q-U pairing followed by common letters makes it more playable than exotic Q-words. Aim for premium squares with the Q for explosive scoring potential.
Quasars represent one of the universe's most extraordinary phenomena—celestial powerhouses that outshine entire galaxies despite appearing as mere points of light. These quasi-stellar radio sources are among the most distant and luminous objects known to science, powered by supermassive black holes billions of times more massive than our Sun. When matter spirals into these cosmic monsters, it heats to extreme temperatures, radiating energy that can be detected across billions of light-years.
The discovery of quasars in the 1960s revolutionized astronomy. Initially mistaken for stars due to their point-like appearance in telescopes, their enormous redshifts revealed them to be incredibly distant objects receding at significant fractions of light speed. This discovery confirmed the universe's expansion and provided crucial evidence for Big Bang cosmology. The brightest quasar, 3C 273, shines with the luminosity of 2 trillion suns despite being 2.4 billion light-years away.
Quasars serve as cosmic lighthouses, illuminating the early universe. Because light takes time to travel, observing distant quasars allows astronomers to peer back in time, studying conditions when the universe was only a fraction of its current age. These observations reveal how galaxies formed and evolved, how supermassive black holes grew, and how the intergalactic medium changed over cosmic time. Quasars' spectra contain absorption lines from intervening gas clouds, mapping the universe's structure across vast distances.
The physics of quasars pushes extremes. The accretion disk surrounding the central black hole reaches temperatures of millions of degrees, emitting radiation from radio waves to gamma rays. Magnetic fields channel some material into jets traveling at near-light speed, extending hundreds of thousands of light-years into space. These jets can influence galaxy formation across entire clusters, demonstrating how black holes shape cosmic evolution despite their comparatively tiny size.
Modern research reveals quasars as phases in galactic evolution. Most large galaxies likely hosted quasars during their youth when abundant gas fueled rapid black hole growth. As available material depleted, these cosmic engines quieted, leaving dormant supermassive black holes like the one at our Milky Way's center. Galaxy collisions can reignite quasar activity by providing fresh fuel, creating some of the most luminous objects in the contemporary universe.
In word games, QUASAR exemplifies the power of Q-words. Starting with Q (10 points), the word delivers exceptional value, especially when the Q lands on premium squares. The U-A combination following Q is standard in English, making QUASAR more playable than Q-words requiring unusual letter combinations. With common ending letters S-A-R, players can often build QUASAR from existing board positions, making it both high-scoring and strategically flexible.
QUASAR is a portmanteau—a linguistic blend that perfectly captures the object's paradoxical nature. Coined in 1964 by Chinese-American astrophysicist Hong-Yee Chiu, the term combines "quasi-stellar" (meaning "resembling a star") with "radio source," creating a compact designation for these enigmatic objects.
The word's construction follows scientific naming conventions:
The term emerged during astronomy's golden age of discovery. In 1963, Maarten Schmidt identified the first quasar (3C 273) by recognizing its spectral lines were extremely redshifted. The need for a concise term became urgent as more similar objects were discovered. Chiu's "quasar" beat competing terms like "quasi-stellar object" (QSO) in popular usage, though QSO remains common in technical literature.
The word's rapid adoption demonstrates effective scientific communication. Within years, "quasar" entered mainstream vocabulary, appearing in science fiction, popular science books, and eventually dictionaries. Its inclusion in Scrabble dictionaries by the 1970s marked its full integration into English, transforming from specialized jargon to accepted vocabulary. This linguistic journey from laboratory to living room exemplifies how scientific discoveries enrich everyday language.
•The brightest quasar shines 600 trillion times brighter than our Sun—visible from 25 billion light-years away!
•QUASAR entered dictionaries in 1967, just 3 years after being coined—one of the fastest adoptions of a scientific term.
•In Scrabble, QUASAR is one of the highest-scoring 6-letter words starting with Q that doesn't require a blank tile.
•Some quasars' jets extend over 1 million light-years—larger than the distance between galaxies!
•The Q-U combination appears in 99% of English Q-words, making QUASAR relatively playable despite its high value.
"The quasar's light has traveled for 12 billion years to reach our telescopes—we're seeing it as it was when the universe was young."
— Astronomy context
"I held onto that Q for three turns waiting for the right moment, then boom—QUASAR on a triple word score for 92 points!"
— Scrabble context
"The discovery of quasars proved that the universe was much stranger and more violent than we ever imagined."
— Scientific history
"Her mind was like a quasar—incredibly brilliant and intense, illuminating everything around her."
— Metaphorical usage
Related astronomical objects
QSO
Quasi-Stellar Object (technical term)
Active Galactic Nucleus
AGN - the energetic center
Blazar
Quasar with jet pointed at Earth
Radio Galaxy
Related active galaxy type
Related concepts and phenomena
Cosmic Beacon
Metaphorical description
Supermassive Black Hole
Power source of quasars
Accretion Disk
Matter spiraling into black hole
Relativistic Jet
High-speed particle streams
Other valuable Q words for maximizing your score
💡 Tip: Q words are rare and valuable - memorize common Q-U combinations for competitive play
Singular/Plural
QUASAR (singular) → QUASARS (plural)
Related Forms
Usage Note
Both "quasar" and "QSO" are accepted in scientific literature, though "quasar" is preferred in popular writing. The plural "quasars" follows standard English rules.
Distant quasar
Emphasizing vast cosmic distances
Quasar redshift
Measure of recession velocity
Radio-loud quasar
Strong radio emission type
Bright as a quasar
Metaphor for extreme brightness
Quasar discovery
Finding new cosmic objects
Quasar-powered
Sci-fi energy source concept
Total base points: 15 (Scrabble)
Vowels: 3 (U, A, A) | Consonants: 3 (Q, S, R)
Pattern: Q-U pair (standard) + common ending (-ASAR)
Quasars have fundamentally shaped our understanding of the universe. Their discovery challenged existing theories about the energy output possible from celestial objects. A single quasar can outshine an entire galaxy of 100 billion stars, yet this enormous energy emanates from a region smaller than our solar system. This paradox led to the acceptance of supermassive black holes as real astronomical objects rather than mathematical curiosities.
The study of quasars provides a time machine into the universe's past. Because quasars are so distant and their light takes billions of years to reach us, we observe them as they existed when the universe was much younger. This allows astronomers to study galaxy formation, the growth of black holes, and the evolution of cosmic structure across cosmic time. The most distant known quasar existed when the universe was only 670 million years old—just 5% of its current age.
Culturally, quasars have captured public imagination as symbols of cosmic power and mystery. They appear frequently in science fiction as energy sources, navigation beacons, or alien artifacts. The term has entered common usage as a metaphor for anything incredibly bright, powerful, or energetic. This cultural penetration helped establish "quasar" in dictionaries and word games, bridging scientific discovery with everyday language.
Not QUAZAR or QUASER - remember it ends in -AR, from "quasi-stellar"
It's KWAY-zar, not KWAH-sar or quiz-AR
Don't confuse with QUAVER (musical term) - different letters, different meaning
Quasars aren't stars - they're entire galactic cores powered by black holes
Practice unscrambling letters to find more high-scoring words like QUASAR