Quasars can outshine thousands of galaxies for millions of years whilst supernovae only shine at a max brightness for a few weeks.Differences Between A Quasar And A SupernovaĪs for the differences between the two, they are quite vast and include the following: Other than these similarities, both cosmic phenomena function in very different ways. Similarities Between A Quasar And A Supernovaīoth are similar in the sense they can outshine entire galaxies and are linked to black holes because one creates black holes and the other surrounds it whilst jets of really bright light particles are projected in all directions. This is further expanded upon when you consider that the brightest object we’ve currently observed is a quasar. However, the difference between the 2 is that quasars can continue outshining galaxies for millions of years whilst a supernova explosion will only last for a few weeks at its peak therefore, this implies that quasars are the more powerful interstellar phenomena. Yes, quasars at the upper end of their brightness easily exceeds 100 times that of the average galaxy whilst supernovae also overpower the average galaxy but not to the same extent. Are Quasars More Powerful Than A Supernova? In essence anything above 20 times the size of our Sun can potentially result in a black hole whilst a white dwarf star that is 1.44 solar masses or between 10 – 20 times the mass of our Sun would produce a neutron star instead. For black holes to form in this case, a star would require at least 3 solar masses worth of materials after the explosion. Type 2 supernovae are formed when a star between 8 – 50 times the Sun’s mass collapses into itself and causes a huge explosion that produces either a neutron star or black hole. Type Ic’s lack both the hydrogen and helium layer when they explode, although the difference here has been debated as not being significant enough to differentiate a type Ib from a Ic. Type Ib’s are formed after a large star collapses under its own core gravity where the outer region of the stars hydrogen is stripped away, leaving behind only the second layer of helium. Type Ia’s have a strong silicon absorption line near its maximum luminosity whilst producing no hydrogen at the same time. These are theorised to form after a white dwarf, likely in a binary star system, exploding due to the over consumption of energy from its companion. Type 1’s are then further split into 1 of 3 subcategories, Ia, Ib or Ic.Ī type 1a supernova is the most commonly observed in outer space and acts like a candle light to help us observe distance across the deep unknown. It can either be via a white dwarf in a binary star system that accumulates too much energy from its companion star causing it to explode or when a larger star runs out of nuclear fuel and collapses under its own gravity, leaving behind the bright and grandiose remnants of this explosion many times brighter than even its own galaxy.Īs stated above supernovae are generally split into 2 types, a type 1 supernova or a type 2. There are two ways that a supernova explosion can form. Supernovae are classified under 2 different types where a type 1 supernova is an explosion that leaves no hydrogen line emissions in the spectra and a type 2 supernova is distinguished where a star 15 times the mass of our sun explodes and does produce hydrogen line emissions. Therefore, not only are these enigma’s extraordinarily powerful but they can even be used as time capsules to observe how our universe came to be, relatively close to when the theorised big bang occurred. Some light gets drawn in whilst other particles jet out at a tremendous pace, which is how the erratic and powerful light of Quasars form.Īt this moment in time we have discovered roughly 750,000 unique quasars extending across various ages, with the farthest from us roughly 13 billion light years away. Quasars were initially called quasi-stellar radio sources however, this name isn’t entirely consistent with the type of waves quasars generate as only around 10 percent of all quasars that have been discovered produce strong radio waves.Īs for how bright they can be, quasars have been observed to exceed levels that are upwards of 100 times the brightness of the galaxies that hold them.Īlthough not an absolute, many scientists believe these bright objects are formed when light escapes at the edge of a supermassive black hole just before reaching its event horizon. They are also referred to as an active galactic nucleus. Quasars are the extremely bright celestial objects powered by supermassive black holes, that are found in the center of galaxies.
Differences Between A Quasar And A Supernova.Similarities Between A Quasar And A Supernova.Are Quasars More Powerful Than A Supernova?.
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