Blazar

Article

A blazar is an active galactic nucleus powered by matter falling toward a supermassive black hole, with one of its relativistic jets directed close to the observer's line of sight. This orientation makes the source appear unusually bright and variable.

Blazars emit radiation across much of the electromagnetic spectrum, from radio waves to gamma rays. Their brightness, polarisation, and spectrum can change over timescales ranging from minutes to years.

The rapid variability implies that much of the radiation is produced in compact regions within the jet. Relativistic beaming amplifies the observed emission and shortens apparent timescales.

Blazars include BL Lacertae objects and flat-spectrum radio quasars. They are used to study particle acceleration, magnetic fields, black-hole accretion, relativistic jets, and the environments of distant galaxies.

Source details and credits

• Source / publisher: Wikipedia
• URL type: WWW
• Credits: Wikipedia
• URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blazar