Active galaxies may contain quasar power source

17 Jun 2002

A high-energy power source hidden inside a galaxy 660 million light years from Earth has provided new evidence supporting a theory that all such "active galaxies" harbor quasars in their nuclei. Quasars are distant objects that look like stars, but may actually emit more energy than an entire galaxy.

A type of spiral galaxy called a Seyfert galaxy appears to contain a power source resembling a quasar in its nucleus. But scientists have been puzzled by the fact that Seyfert galaxies come in two varieties, and it is less clear whether one of those varieties contains the quasar-like engines.

One possible explanation is that both types of Seyferts actually are the same but they face Earth from different angles; in some cases, depending on the angle, the central power source would be blocked from the view of astronomers. The latest findings, by researchers at Johns Hopkins University and other institutions, support that theory, providing evidence that both types of Seyfert galaxies may harbor the power sources. The information was released in a poster presentation this week during a meeting of the American Astronomical Society.