Number 196 (Story #2), September 28, 1994 by Phillip F. Schewe and Ben Stein A QUASAR IN A NEARBY RADIO GALAXY has been discovered using the Hubble Space Telescope. Although the galaxy, Cygnus A, is the most luminous object in the nearby universe, its spectrum (particularly at visible wavelengths) had not hinted at the presence of a quasar. But new ultraviolet observations exhibit broad emission lines characteristic of a quasar, which must lie hidden at the heart of the galaxy. The ultraviolet radiation, arising from magnesium ions in the quasar, is probably being reflected toward Earth by dust surrounding the galaxy. Quasars are a class of compact objects no larger than stars but packing the energy output of hundreds or thousands of galaxies. With a redshift of only 0.057, Cygnus A is closer than all other comparable energy sources. (Robert Antonucci et al., Nature, 22 Sept.)