This x-ray image was taken with the orbiting Einstein Observatory. The Einstein telescope greatly expanded our vision: prior to its launch, x-ray emission had been detected from only 3C 273 and two other quasars. Today, the satellite has measured x-ray emission from several hundred quasars.
The starburst pattern here is caused by the support structure of the x-ray telescope and does not come from the 3C 273 quasar itself. Most of the image is filled with the astronomical equivalent of static. Although 3C 273 emits about as much energy in x-rays as it does in optical wavelengths, most of the x-rays come from a region too small to be resolved by any telescope.
