Quasar and GRB

[CedrikG]

Hey everyone !
anybody can help me understand the difference between a Gamma Ray Burst and a Quasar ? There seem to be a difference but I am not sure to understand it.

cheers !

[Roy Challen]

Without getting technical, a grb is a very massive star that has reached the end of its life. It blows up in a supernova, some of the energy from this is kind of 'focused' into polar beams. If seen head on it gives the impression that it is even more energetic than a regular core collapse supernova.

A quasar (quasi-stellar radio source) is the active core of a galaxy. Generally there will be a supermassive black hole at the centre feeding on stars and gas and whatever else strays too near. This gives off stupendous amounts of radiation, as such these active galaxies are very bright and can be seen across vast distances(with professional telescopes at least).

The nearest quasar to Earth is somewhere in the region of 2-3 billion light years away.

If I am wrong about any of this, please feel free to correct, it's just what I can remember from a course I did a couple of years back!

[CedrikG]

ohhh ok! I remember reading something about the magnetic shield turning and turning and ending doing a little bit like a ... tornado if you want. This tornado of magnetic shield was compressing the surrounding gaz and making it glow. is this what you refer to for the GRB?

[gkec]

ohhh ok! I remember reading something about the magnetic shield turning and turning and ending doing a little bit like a ... tornado if you want. This tornado of magnetic shield was compressing the surrounding gaz and making it glow. is this what you refer to for the GRB?

Sounds about right but if you want to search for more information it's a magnetic field.   Magnetic shields are probably Star Trek.  

[CedrikG]

Hahaha!! That was funny man.
Thats because of my bad english hahahaha, I got an excuse at least

[gkec]

Hahaha!! That was funny man.

Thats because of my bad english hahahaha, I got an excuse at least

You are excused a multitude of sins because of Neil Young being Canadian.

But in reality I knew what you meant.

[CedrikG]

Allllright. I always knew this dude was going to save my canadian ass one day.

[ghostdance]

Sigh.... (plays Hurricane and Goin' Back again...and again...)