---
title: "3C 48"
url: "https://spacecatalog.org/object/3c-48"
release: "DR1"
licence: "CC-BY-4.0"
citation: "SpaceCatalog. 3C 48 [catalogue entry]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/3c-48"
---

# 3C 48

3C 48 is a quasar in the constellation [Triangulum](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/triangulum), 6.442 Gly from Earth. It was discovered in 1960.

The first radio source matched to a starlike point of light, in 1960. Its spectrum made no sense to anybody for three years, until 3C 273 showed that such lines were ordinary hydrogen shifted far to the red, and this became the second quasar understood.

## At a glance

- **WHAT IT IS:** Quasar
- **HOW FAR:** 6.442 Gly — A luminosity distance, from its redshift — how faint it looks. The light itself left 4.02 billion years ago.
- **WHERE TO LOOK:** [Triangulum](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/triangulum) — The patch of sky it sits in, as seen from Earth.

## Properties

| Quantity | Value |
| --- | --- |
| CLASS | Quasar |
| DISTANCE FROM EARTH | 6.442 Gly — by luminosity distance from a published redshift, flat ΛCDM with H0 = 70 km/s/Mpc |
| CONSTELLATION | Triangulum |
| RIGHT ASCENSION (J2000) | 01h 37m 41.3s |
| DECLINATION (J2000) | +33° 09′ 35.1″ |
| DISCOVERED | 1960 |

## Catalogue data

### WHAT KIND OF THING IT IS

What the object is in itself, rather than how it happens to look from here.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Accretion state | quasar — a thin disc near its Eddington limit |

### WHERE IT IS AND HOW IT MOVES

Position, motion across the sky and the size it covers on it. These are measurements of the object as seen from here, so every one of them depends on where here is.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Redshift (z) | 0.3702 |

## Also known as

- Common name: 3C 48

## Source

[SpaceCatalog curated data](https://spacecatalog.org/releases) — CC-BY-4.0

How this was made: https://spacecatalog.org/methods#source-curated

## Cite this page

SpaceCatalog. 3C 48 \[catalogue entry\]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/3c-48

```bibtex
@misc{spacecatalog_3c-48,
  author       = {{SpaceCatalog}},
  title        = {{3C 48}},
  howpublished = {SpaceCatalog, data release DR1 (2026-08-21)},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://spacecatalog.org/object/3c-48},
  note         = {Catalogue entry, data release DR1 (2026-08-21). Values from SpaceCatalog curated data.}
}
```

SpaceCatalog curated data — CC-BY-4.0

The page itself, with its pictures, the sky map and the observing tools: https://spacecatalog.org/object/3c-48