How are quasars, seyfert galaxies, radio galaxies, and normal galactic nuclei related?

Question

Michael Adkins · Accepted Answer

Quasar, Seyfert galaxies and radio galaxies are all associated with active galactic nuclei

It is believed that supermassive black holes are located in the centers of most massive galaxies. Regular galaxies lack active nuclei because there isn't much material in the area around the black hole. When a galactic supermassive black hole is surrounded by a large amount of gas and dust, the material falls into the black hole, creating an accretion disc, where it is heated by friction and gravitational pull to produce massive amounts of radiation, which power an active galactic nucleus. At billions of light years away, quasars are extremely powerful and distant active galactic nuclei, which means that they are still young galaxies from billions of years ago. Seyfert galaxies are observable galaxies with bright core regions that are characterized by active nuclei. Active nuclei in radio galaxies emit primarily in the X-ray range, and they are typically linked to elliptical galaxies with large supermassive black holes.

Piper Hoffman · Answer

undefined Quasars, Seyfert galaxies, radio galaxies, and normal galactic nuclei are all types of active galactic nuclei (AGN) with varying degrees of activity. They share a common central supermassive black hole but differ in observational characteristics, such as luminosity and the presence of jets or radio emissions.