3C 273 is a really big, bright thing far away in space called a quasar. To help you understand, it's like a giant lamp that's shining from really far away in space.
Scientists have studied 3C 273 because it's one of the most interesting things in the sky. They've found out that it's not just any old lamp, it's actually a really, really big black hole that's gobbling up all the stuff around it, like stars and gas.
When the black hole eats all that stuff, it gets really hot and creates a lot of energy. That energy is what makes the quasar shine so brightly.
Even though 3C 273 is really, really far away (it's almost 2.5 billion light years away!), scientists can study it with special telescopes and learn more about how black holes work and how our universe is put together.