Artist's Impression of a Blazar (IMAGE)

Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC)

Artist's Impression of a Blazar

Caption

Black-hole-powered galaxies called blazars are extremely rare. As matter falls toward the supermassive black hole at the galaxy's center, some of it is accelerated outward at nearly the speed of light along jets pointed in opposite directions. When one of the jets happens to be aimed in the direction of Earth, as illustrated here, the galaxy appears especially bright and is classified as a blazar.

Credit

M. Weiss/CfA

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