SWhat changed
Maarten Schmidt identified broad spectral lines of the radio source 3C 273 as redshifted emission lines, with a common shift of about 0.158. The result made a distant, exceptionally luminous object a compelling interpretation and helped establish quasars as a new class of astronomical object.
Scientific scope
Maarten Schmidt identified broad spectral lines of the radio source 3C 273 as redshifted emission lines, with a common shift of about 0.158. The result made a distant, exceptionally luminous object a compelling interpretation and helped establish quasars as a new class of astronomical object. The 1963 paper regarded an extragalactic interpretation as most plausible but also discussed a gravitationally redshifted nearby star. Its distance and luminosity inference depends on the cosmological interpretation. The radio-localization investigation of Hazard, Mackey and Shimmins is a related separate contribution, not part of Schmidt’s byline. The paper did not establish the modern black-hole engine.
Evidence
The linked original works support the scoped statement and contribution attribution. WRS has not independently replayed experiments or reconstructed a full mathematical proof. The 1963 paper regarded an extragalactic interpretation as most plausible but also discussed a gravitationally redshifted nearby star. Its distance and luminosity inference depends on the cosmological interpretation. The radio-localization investigation of Hazard, Mackey and Shimmins is a related separate contribution, not part of Schmidt’s byline. The paper did not establish the modern black-hole engine.
Contributors
- The named authors in the research record · SCIENCE: These are the source-listed authors of this specific paper. Individual effort, author nationality and unresolved cross-record identities are not inferred.
- 3C 273: A Star-Like Object with Large Red-Shift
- Investigation of the Radio Source 3C 273 By The Method of Lunar Occultations
Provisional WRS assessment, edition 2026-10-27.3. Independent expert calibration is pending. This grade does not certify correctness or assign ownership.
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