Seyfert galaxy facts for kids
Seyfert galaxies are a special kind of galaxy named after Carl Seyfert, who first described them in 1943. These galaxies are known for being very bright at their centers.
They are one of the two main types of active galaxies. This means their centers are super energetic! The other main type of active galaxy is called a quasar. Seyfert galaxies have centers that are a bit like quasars: they are very bright sources of energy, like light and radio waves. Their bright centers also show strong light patterns called emission lines.
However, there's a big difference: in Seyfert galaxies, you can clearly see the main galaxy around the bright center. With quasars, the center is so bright it often hides the rest of the galaxy.
About 10% of all galaxies are Seyfert galaxies. Scientists study them a lot because they help us understand how galaxies work. We think they get their power from the same things as quasars, but they are usually closer to us and not quite as bright.
At the heart of every Seyfert galaxy is a huge supermassive black hole. This black hole is surrounded by a spinning disk of gas and dust called an accretion disc. This disk glows very brightly as material falls into the black hole. This glowing disk is believed to be the source of the strong ultraviolet light and other energy we see. By studying the light from these disks, scientists can learn a lot about the material around the black hole.
When you look at most Seyfert galaxies with a regular telescope, they often look like normal spiral galaxies. But if you look at them with special telescopes that see other types of light (like X-rays or radio waves), you'll see that their centers shine as brightly as an entire galaxy the size of our own Milky Way!
Famous Seyfert Galaxies
Here are some well-known Seyfert galaxies:
- Circinus galaxy: This galaxy has rings of gas that have been shot out from its center.
- Centaurus A: This is one of the brightest Seyfert galaxies we can see from Earth. It's a giant galaxy that shoots out a huge jet of energy, over a million light-years long!
- Messier 51 (NGC 5194): This is one of the most famous galaxies in the sky, known for its beautiful spiral shape.
- Messier 81 (NGC 3031): This is a popular galaxy for amateur astronomers to look at. It's the second brightest Seyfert galaxy after Centaurus A.
- Messier 87 (NGC 4486): This is the biggest galaxy in a group called the Virgo Cluster. It also has a huge jet of energy coming from its center, powered by a black hole that is billions of times heavier than our Sun.
- NGC 1672: The center of this galaxy is surrounded by areas where many new stars are forming very quickly.
Images for kids
-
NGC 1068 (Messier 77), one of the first Seyfert galaxies to be identified.
-
NGC 5793 is a Seyfert galaxy located over 150 million light-years away.
-
Pictures of the black hole in the center of NGC 4151, a Seyfert Galaxy.
-
The active galaxy Markarian 1018 has a supermassive black hole at its core.
-
NGC 1097 is an example of a Seyfert galaxy. It has a supermassive black hole at its center, which is 100 million times heavier than the Sun.
-
NGC 6300 is a Type II Seyfert galaxy in the southern constellation of Ara.
-
NGC 6814 is a Seyfert galaxy that gives off changing amounts of X-ray light.
-
NGC 3081 is a Type II Seyfert galaxy, known for its very bright center.
-
NGC 1275, a Type 1.5 Seyfert galaxy.
-
Messier 94, a galaxy with a Seyfert-like center called a LINER nucleus.
-
Seyfert galaxy Messier 88.
.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Galaxia Seyfert para niños
