---
title: "Markarian 231"
url: "https://spacecatalog.org/object/mrk-231"
release: "DR1"
licence: "CC-BY-4.0"
citation: "SpaceCatalog. Markarian 231 [catalogue entry]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/mrk-231"
---

# Markarian 231

Markarian 231 is a quasar in the constellation [Ursa Major](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/ursa-major), 607.9 Mly from Earth. Other catalogues list it as Mrk 231. It was discovered in 1969.

The nearest quasar to Earth, in a [galaxy](https://spacecatalog.org/galaxies) still unsettled from a merger. It is heavily obscured by dust, and the wind it drives is stripping gas out of that galaxy faster than the gas can be turned into [stars](https://spacecatalog.org/stars).

## At a glance

- **WHAT IT IS:** Quasar
- **HOW FAR:** 607.9 Mly — A luminosity distance, from its redshift — how faint it looks. The light itself left 571 million years ago.
- **WHERE TO LOOK:** [Ursa Major](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/ursa-major) — The patch of sky it sits in, as seen from Earth.

## Properties

| Quantity | Value |
| --- | --- |
| CLASS | Quasar |
| DISTANCE FROM EARTH | 607.9 Mly — by luminosity distance from a published redshift, flat ΛCDM with H0 = 70 km/s/Mpc |
| CONSTELLATION | Ursa Major |
| RIGHT ASCENSION (J2000) | 12h 56m 14.2s |
| DECLINATION (J2000) | +56° 52′ 25.2″ |
| DISCOVERED | 1969 |

## 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) | 0.04218 |

## Also known as

- Common name: Markarian 231
- Common name: Mrk 231

## 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. Markarian 231 \[catalogue entry\]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/mrk-231

```bibtex
@misc{spacecatalog_mrk-231,
  author       = {{SpaceCatalog}},
  title        = {{Markarian 231}},
  howpublished = {SpaceCatalog, data release DR1 (2026-08-21)},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://spacecatalog.org/object/mrk-231},
  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/mrk-231