|
Explanation: QUASARs (QUASi-stellAR objects) lie near the edge of the observable Universe. Discovered in 1963, astronomers were astounded that such objects could be visible across billions of light-years, as this implies they must emit prodigious amounts of energy. Where does the energy come from? Many believe the quasar's central engine is a giant black hole fueled by tremendous amounts of infalling gas, dust, and stars. This gallery of quasar portraits from the Hubble Space Telescope offers a look at their local neighborhoods: the quasars themselves appear as the bright star-like objects with diffraction spikes. The images in the center and right hand columns reveal quasars associated with disrupted colliding and merging galaxies which should provide plenty of debris to feed a hungry black hole.
|
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: black hole - quasar
Publications with words: black hole - quasar
See also:
- The Doubly Warped World of Binary Black Holes
- The Galaxy, the Jet, and a Famous Black Hole
- When Black Holes Collide
- M87s Central Black Hole in Polarized Light
- GW190521: Unexpected Black Holes Collide
- APOD: 2020 August 25 Á Visualization: A Black Hole Accretion Disk
- A Black Hole Disrupts a Passing Star