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Flat-spectrum radio quasar

Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer 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, which are rare and shine very strongly in radio waves. These objects can change how bright they look in visible light by as much as half in just one day!

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 stronger bright lines in their light, known as emission lines.

Scientists sometimes use different names for these objects, such as "optically violent variable quasar" or "highly polarized quasar." But lately, the name "flat-spectrum radio quasar" has become the most popular. This name helps tell them apart from other quasars that have a different shape in their radio signals.

Examples

Some examples of flat-spectrum radio quasars include 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
BL Lac objects
Emission lines
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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