Seyfert galaxy facts for kids

The Circinus Galaxy, a Type II Seyfert galaxy

A diagram of an active galactic nucleus. The central black hole is surrounded by an accretion disc, which is surrounded by a torus. The broad line region and narrow line emission region are shown, as well as jets coming out of the nucleus

Seyfert galaxies are named after Carl Seyfert who first described them in 1943.

These galaxies are one of the two main types of active galaxies. The other large group are quasars. Seyfert galaxies have quasar-like nuclei: they are very distant luminous sources of electromagnetic radiation. Their very high surface brightness has spectra with strong, high-ionisation emission lines. However, unlike quasars, their host galaxies are clearly visible.

Seyfert galaxies are about 10% of all galaxies, and are some of the most intensely studied objects in astronomy. They are thought to be powered by the same phenomena as quasars, although they are closer and less luminous than quasars. These galaxies have supermassive black holes at their centers which are surrounded by accretion discs of in-falling material. The accretion discs are believed to be the source of the observed ultraviolet radiation. Ultraviolet emission lines and absorption lines are the best way to analyse the surrounding material.

Seen in visible light, most Seyfert galaxies look like normal spiral galaxies. However, when studied under other wavelengths, it becomes clear that the luminosity of their cores is as big as the luminosity of whole galaxies the size of the Milky Way.

Examples

Seyfert galaxy Messier 51

Seyfert galaxy Messier 87

Seyfert galaxy Centaurus A

Here are some notable examples of Seyfert galaxies:

• Circinus galaxy has rings of gas ejected from its center
• Centaurus A, apparently the brightest Seyfert galaxy as seen from Earth. It is a giant elliptical galaxy: a radio galaxy notable for its relativistic jet spanning more than a million light years in length.
• Messier 51a (NGC 5194), the Whirlpool Galaxy, one of the best known galaxies in the sky.
• Messier 81 (NGC 3031), a popular target for amateur astronomy and the second brightest Seyfert galaxy in the sky after Centaurus A
• Messier 87 (NGC 4486), central galaxy of the Virgo Cluster and the biggest galaxy in the Local Supercluster. It is a radio galaxy notable for its 4,400 light-year long relativistic jet powered by an immense supermassive black hole with the mass of (3.5 ± 0.2)-6.3 billion solar masses
• NGC 1672 has a nucleus engulfed by intense starburst regions

Images for kids

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  NGC 1068 (Messier 77), one of the first Seyfert galaxies classified

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  NGC 5793 is a Seyfert galaxy located over 150 million light-years away in the constellation of Libra.

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  Optical and ultraviolet images of the black hole in the center of NGC 4151, a Seyfert Galaxy

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  Active galaxy Markarian 1018 has a supermassive black hole at its core.

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  NGC 1097 is an example of a Seyfert galaxy. A supermassive black hole with a mass of 100 million solar masses lies at the center of the galaxy. The area around the black hole emits large amounts of radiation from the matter falling into the black hole.

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  NGC 6300 is a Type II galaxy in the southern constellation of Ara.

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  NGC 6814 is a Seyfert galaxy with a highly variable source of X-ray radiation.

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  NGC 3081 is known as a Type II Seyfert galaxy, characterised by its dazzling nucleus.

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  NGC 1275, a Type 1.5 Seyfert galaxy

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  Messier 94, a galaxy with a Seyfert-like LINER nucleus

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  Seyfert galaxy Messier 88

See also

In Spanish: Galaxia Seyfert para niños