Radio Galaxy Zoo Talk

ARGOOO197x

  • 1001G by 1001G

    ARG000197x

    COULD THE STAR BE A NOVA , A SUPER NOVA OR QSO.
    ALSO WHAT IF ANY ROLE DOES THE GALAXY PLAY.

    Posted

  • JeanTate by JeanTate in response to 1001G's comment.

    As HAndernach said (see the comments), this is Markarian 421, an object (galaxy) which has been extensively studied by astronomers, for several decades now. It's not a nova, nor a supernova, but an AGN. It's a very special - and interesting - kind of AGN, in that we are 'looking down the barrel' of one of the jets; this kind of object is called a blazar, or BL Lac object (after the archetype, BL Lacertae, which looks exactly like a variable star - hence its name - but isn't).

    Wikipedia's entry may be a good place to start learning about this fascinating galaxy! 😃

    Posted