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Flat-spectrum radio quasar

Adapted from Wikipedia · Adventurer experience

An artist’s drawing showing the bright center of a faraway galaxy called a quasar, studied by telescopes around the world.

A flat-spectrum radio quasar is a special kind of very bright object in space called a quasar. It is a type of blazar. These objects shine very strongly in radio waves and can change how bright they look quickly.

Artist's impression of the optically violent variable quasar 3C 279.

Flat-spectrum radio quasars look similar to another type of object called BL Lac objects, but they usually show brighter lines in their light, known as emission lines.

Scientists use different names for these objects, but "flat-spectrum radio quasar" is now the most popular name. This name helps scientists tell them apart from other quasars.

Examples

Some examples of flat-spectrum radio quasars are 3C 279 and S5 0014+81.

Images

The first-ever image of a black hole's shadow, captured by the Event Horizon Telescope. The dark center represents the black hole, surrounded by a bright ring of energy.
An artist's impression of the quasar GB1508, a bright object powered by a supermassive black hole.

Related articles

Quasar
Blazar
3C 279
S5 0014+81

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Flat-spectrum radio quasar, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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