Quasars found in ordinary galaxies
Posted: Wed, May 26, 2004, 10:22 AM ET (1422 GMT)
Brilliant quasars appear to be based in rather ordinary galaxies, and not large or disrupted ones as previously thought, astronomers said Tuesday. Infrared observations by the Gemini Observatory of distant quasars, each about 10 billion light-years away, were in all but one case unable to detect the galaxy the quasar is located in; astronomers called the one galaxy they were able to observe "remarkably unremarkable". These findings led astronomers to conclude that the galaxies these quasars are located in are relatively ordinary, similar in many respects to the Milky Way. Quasars are thought to be supermassive black holes powered by large quantities of infalling matter, leading them to previously speculate that such objects would be located in the centers of very large galaxies, or the remnants of galactic collisions.
Brilliant quasars appear to be based in rather ordinary galaxies, and not large or disrupted ones as previously thought, astronomers said Tuesday. Infrared observations by the Gemini Observatory of distant quasars, each about 10 billion light-years away, were in all but one case unable to detect the galaxy the quasar is located in; astronomers called the one galaxy they were able to observe "remarkably unremarkable". These findings led astronomers to conclude that the galaxies these quasars are located in are relatively ordinary, similar in many respects to the Milky Way. Quasars are thought to be supermassive black holes powered by large quantities of infalling matter, leading them to previously speculate that such objects would be located in the centers of very large galaxies, or the remnants of galactic collisions.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Wednesday, March 11
Firefly Rocket Launch at Vandenberg Delayed for Second Day in a Row
Noozhawk — 6:53 am ET (1053 GMT) A meteor soared across Europe—and possibly hit a house
Popular Science — 6:52 am ET (1052 GMT) The tiny lens antenna with big potential
ESA — 6:52 am ET (1052 GMT) Starlink’s Pricing Shift: A Bait and Switch for General Aviation
Flying — 6:52 am ET (1052 GMT) Kenyan regulator audits Starlink’s D2C service for interference issues
Developing Telecoms — 6:51 am ET (1051 GMT) |
