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BALQSO Illustration:
A Quasar's Identity May Simply Be In The Eye Of The Beholder
This illustration demonstrates the
possible different points-of-view from which
astronomers observe quasars with X-ray
satellites. If a quasar is oriented so that an
observer's vantage point looks straight down the top of
a quasar, then their view will not be obscured by the
"donut" of gas and dust surrounding the core. This is
the situation that astronomers believe occurs in
"normal" quasars. However, 10 percent of quasars appear
to absorb a great deal of their own radiation,
including low-energy X-rays. Recent data from Chandra
indicate that "shrouded" quasars appear this way
because they are oriented so that astronomers are
looking through the side of the obscuring ring of hot
gas and dust. However, Chandra reveals that the
underlying supermassive black holes behave like other
quasars, and suggests that all quasars are the same
types of object but just viewed from different angles.
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