3C 288

3C 288 is a quasar, a highly luminous active galactic nucleus (AGN). Quasars are powered by supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies, accreting matter and emitting vast amounts of energy across the electromagnetic spectrum. 3C 288 is part of the Third Cambridge Catalogue of Radio Sources (3C), compiled by the Radio Astronomy Group of the University of Cambridge. Its designation indicates that it was the 288th object listed in that catalogue. While the 3C catalogue contains numerous radio sources, 3C 288 is distinguished by its classification as a quasar, signifying the presence of an extremely powerful and distant energy source associated with a supermassive black hole. Observations of 3C 288 have contributed to our understanding of quasar properties, the evolution of galaxies, and the large-scale structure of the universe.