What is a quasars?
Quick Answer
A quasar is an extremely bright active galactic nucleus powered by a supermassive black hole. Its light can outshine the entire galaxy around it.
The Full Story
Quasars are among the most luminous objects known, powered by matter falling into a supermassive black hole at a galaxy’s center. The infalling gas heats up in an accretion disk and emits enormous amounts of energy across the electromagnetic spectrum. Many quasars are so bright that they can be seen across billions of light-years. They were first identified in the 1960s as radio sources with unusual star-like appearances. Quasars help astronomers study the early universe and the growth of galaxies.
Key Facts
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Suggested video title for this topic:
"A galaxy’s core can outshine the whole galaxy—when a black hole feeds"
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