blazar

American  

[blayz-ahr] / ˈbleɪz ɑr /

noun

plural

blazars

1. Astronomy. a type of active galactic nucleus having an extremely bright appearance because of massive jets of radiation directed toward the earth from the disk of dust and gas circling the black hole associated with the galactic nucleus.

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blazar Scientific  

/ blā′zär′ /

1. An extremely bright, starlike object characterized by rapid changes in luminosity and a flat spectrum. Originally thought to be ordinary irregular variable stars, their spectral properties now lead astronomers to consider blazars as a class of active galactic nuclei. Blazars emit radiation over a very wide range of frequencies, from radio to gamma rays, with their jets pointed at the observer. This orientation accounts for their peculiar properties, specifically the variability and intensity of their brightness, and it also distinguishes blazars from another class of active galactic nucleus, quasars.

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Other Word Forms

• blazar-like adjective
• non-blazar adjective

Explanation

A blazar is the core of a galaxy that shoots out a radiant stream of light and energy in the direction of Earth, kind of like a cosmic spotlight. A blazar is a celestial phenomenon where a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy produces a powerful, high-energy jet of particles and radiation directed toward Earth. This extraordinary brightness occurs due to particles being accelerated at near-light speed, making blazars some of the brightest objects we can observe in the universe. By studying blazars, astrophysicists gain insights into the behavior of black holes, galaxy formation, and the dynamic forces shaping our cosmos.

Example Sentences

However, the relationship between blazar flaring activity and neutrino flux is yet to be properly understood.

From Science Daily • Nov. 20, 2023

The jets from this blazar extend to a distance of about a million light years.

From Reuters • Nov. 23, 2022

In 2018 IceCube reported a neutrino from a giant flaring blazar.

From Scientific American • Apr. 27, 2021

This type of galaxy is called a blazar.

From BBC • Dec. 25, 2018

Cued by the Antarctic neutrino detector IceCube, an orbiting telescope found that the neutrino likely came from a distant blazar, a bright source of radiation powered by a supermassive black hole.

From Science Magazine • Jul. 13, 2018