Loterre: Astronomía: quasar

cosmology > radio source > quasar

galactic and extragalactic astronomy > galaxy > galactic nucleus > active galactic nucleus > quasar

high-energy astrophysics > active galactic nucleus > quasar

galactic and extragalactic astronomy > galaxy > active galaxy > active galactic nucleus > quasar

high-energy astrophysics > black hole > supermassive black hole > quasar

... > stellar remnant > compact object > black hole > supermassive black hole > quasar

quasar

A quasar (also known as a quasi-stellar object, abbreviated QSO) is an extremely luminous active galactic nucleus (AGN), powered by a supermassive black hole, with mass ranging from millions to tens of billions of solar masses, surrounded by a gaseous accretion disc. Gas in the disc falling towards the black hole heats up because of friction and releases energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation. The radiant energy of quasars is enormous; the most powerful quasars have luminosities thousands of times greater than that of a galaxy such as the Milky Way. Usually, quasars are categorized as a subclass of the more general category of AGN. The redshifts of quasars are of cosmological origin. (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quasar)

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