Blog
Save
Email
Print
ShareA quasar is an astronomical source of electromagnetic energy, including light, which shows a very high redshift.
The scientific consensus is that this high redshift is the result of Hubble's law.
This implies that quasars are very distant.
To be observable at that distance, the energy output of quasars must dwarf that of almost every known astrophysical phenomenon with the exception of comparatively short-lived supernovae and gamma-ray bursts.
They may readily release energy in levels equal to the output of hundreds of average galaxies combined.
The output of light is equivalent to one trillion suns.
Quasars are believed to be powered by accretion of material onto supermassive black holes in the nuclei of distant galaxies, making these luminous versions of the general class of objects known as active galaxies.
No other currently known mechanism appears able to explain the vast energy output and rapid variability.
For more information about the topic Quasar, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:
Redshift — In physics and astronomy, redshift is an observed increase in the wavelength of electromagnetic radiation received by a detector compared to that ... > read more
Hubble Deep Field — The Hubble Deep Field (HDF) is an image of a small region of the sky, based on the results of a series of observations by the Hubble Space Telescope. ... > read more
Large-scale structure of the cosmos — In physical cosmology, the term large-scale structure refers to the characterization of observable distributions of matter and light on the largest ... > read more
Radio telescope — A radio telescope is a form of radio receiver used in astronomy. In contrast to an "ordinary" telescope, which receives visible light, a radio ... > read more
Black hole — A black hole is a concentration of mass great enough that the force of gravity prevents anything from escaping it except through quantum tunnelling ... > read more
Physical cosmology — Physical cosmology, as a branch of astrophysics, is the study of the large-scale structure of the universe and is concerned with fundamental ... > read more
Astrophysics — Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties (luminosity, density, ... > read more
Light-year — A light-year or lightyear (symbol: ly) is a unit of measurement of length, specifically the distance light travels in a vacuum in one year. While ... > read more
Recommend this page on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:
Other bookmarking and sharing tools:
more 