That Thing Called Quasar

Space is just as mysterious as the ocean's depths. We know very little of the vast expanse of either and as we go farther and deeper, we discover more amazing things than what our imaginations can fathom.

What is a quasar? To put it simply, it is a massive object of hot gas and dust being sucked in by a black hole that emits powerful amounts of energy.

A quasar can produce more energy than the entire galaxy in which it resides. Although the basic mechanism that powers a quasar is known, the anatomy of the supermassive black hole and its surroundings is not well understood. Where does the gas that feeds the black hole come from? And what effect does the resulting intense radiation have on the environment around the black hole? The findings of the GRAVITY Collaboration provide a way to answer these fundamental questions.

Learn more about it with Erin Kara's article on Nature.

(Image credit: Wikimedia Commons)


The other thing that makes it so mysterious is how far away it is — a quasar is something from the distant past. We have little hope of ever discovering what it looks like now, let alone approach one. We are looking at something that existed billions of years ago!
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