Quasars

The most luminous and some of the most distant of all objects in the universe. They radiate between 10 and 100,000 times as much energy as our entire galaxy from an energy source that is no larger than our solar system. Such a compact source may be a supermassive black hole surrounded by an accretion disk of matter falling into the hole. The matter is heated to millions of degrees, making the accretion disk glow brightly.

Featured Images

A thick torus of dust encircles a quasar
 Water Works Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Streamers of dust partially obscure the "seven sisters," members of the Pleiades
 Veiled Sisters Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Infrared view of planetary nebula NGC 4361 in Corvus
 Cotton-Candy Star Sunday, April 3, 2011
Hubble view of Hanny's Voorwerp and the galaxy IC 2497
 In the Spotlight Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Radio Programs

 3C48 A quasi-stellar mystery Sunday, September 26, 2010
Building Galaxies Black holes and galactic bulges Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Quasars Lighting up the darkness Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Hanny's Voorwerp The echo of a dead quasar Thursday, March 12, 2009
OJ 287 Evidence of a dark monster Monday, March 24, 2008
3C 273 A blazing beacon from the heart of darkness Sunday, March 23, 2008

FacebookTwitterYouTube

©1995-2012 The University of Texas McDonald Observatory