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πŸ“° News ⏱ 2 min
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Key Points

4 points
1

Four blazars were studied with two space X‑ray telescopes.

2

Weaker jets let the accretion disk’s X‑ray light become visible.

3

A small extra X‑ray feature was found in one blazar.

4

The research improves knowledge of how black holes energize galaxies.

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Summary

Blazars are galaxies with huge black holes that shoot fast streams of particles called jets toward Earth.

When the jets become less strong, the surrounding gas ring (accretion disk) can be seen in X‑ray light.

One blazar showed a tiny extra signal that scientists still need to explain 🧐.

These clues help scientists learn how black holes power whole galaxies.

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New Words to Learn

12 words
blazar
a very bright galaxy that points a strong beam of energy toward Earth
supermassive black hole
an extremely huge black hole that sits in the middle of a galaxy
jet
a fast stream of particles shooting out from near a black hole
accretion disk
a flat ring of gas and dust swirling around a black hole
relativistic
moving almost as fast as light
gamma rays
the most energetic kind of light
tera‑electron volt
a way scientists measure extremely high energy
spectra
the spread of different kinds of light that a source gives off
Gaussian
a smooth, bell‑shaped pattern seen in data
instrumental
related to the tools used for measuring
background effects
extra signals that come from the surroundings, not the main object
Astrophysical Journal
a scientific magazine where astronomers share new discoveries
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