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What are two key aspects of quasars?

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What are two key aspects of quasars?

1.4 Physical Characteristics: Quasars

  • star-like object identified with a radio source;
  • variable light;
  • large ultraviolet flux of radiation;
  • broad emission lines in the spectra with absorption lines in some cases;
  • large redshift.

What do quasars provide the key to?

Quasars provide compelling evidence that we live in an evolving universe—one that changes with time. They tell us that astronomers living billions of years ago would have seen a universe that is very different from the universe of today.

What is the best description of a quasar?

Definition: Quasi Stellar radio sources, abbreviated QUASARS, are the most dynamic and far-off objects in a collective known as active galactic nuclei (AGN). These radiant sources were formed approximately twelve billion years ago.

What makes up a quasar?

A quasar (/ˈkweɪzɑːr/; 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 times the mass of the Sun, surrounded by a gaseous accretion disc.

What did Maarten Schmidt discover about the spectra of quasars?

The stunning discovery showed that 3C 273’s inherent luminosity must be off the charts for it to appear so bright despite its immense distance. The object was no star, despite the starlike characteristics of its light emissions. (“Quasar” is short for “quasi-stellar radio source.”)

What are quasars quizlet?

What is a Quasar? the extremely bright center of a distant galaxy, thought to be powered by a massive black hole.

What does a quasar sound like?

Quasars are massive black holes, sitting in the middle of galaxies. This is all the radiation coming from the quasar, and is dominated by the hissing noise coming from gas very close to the black hole, just outside the event horizon.

How do you identify a quasar?

Both the core and jets are visible with radio telescopes while only the core is usually visible with optical telescopes. Even though quasars are intrinsically very bright, we cannot see any quasars in the night sky without using a telescope. This is because the nearest quasars are more than a billion parsecs away.

Why is Quasar so bright?

As the gas falls into the black hole, it is heated up to millions of degrees. The gas emits thermal radiation due to its enormous heat. This thermal radiation spans the spectrum, making the quasar bright in the visible spectrum as well as x-rays.

How do we know that quasars are relatively small compared to galaxies quizlet?

How do we know that quasars are relatively small compared to galaxies? They vary in brightness over the course of a few months. The reason there were more quasars in the distant past is because…. there was more fuel in the form of gas to feed the supermassive black holes at the center of galaxies.