compact radio source

compact radio source

[′käm·pakt ′rād·ē·ō ‚sȯrs] (astronomy) A source of radio-frequency radiation outside the solar system whose flux at an intermediate radio frequency is dominated by the contribution from a single bright component less than 1 kiloparsec (1.9 × 1016 miles or 3.1 × 1016 kilometers) in diameter.