... The recently discovered quasar labeled APM 08279+5255 has set a new record as being the brightest continuously emitting object yet known. APM 08279+5255 's great distance, though, makes it only appear as bright as magnitude 15.2, an object which can be seen with a moderate sized telescope. ... One possible explanation of APM 08279+5255's record luminosity is that it is partly a mirage: its light is highly magnified by an intervening galaxy that acts as a gravitational lens . ...