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galactic nucleus

American  
[guh-lak-tik noo-klee-uhs] / gəˈlæk tɪk ˈnu kli əs /

noun

  • galactic nuclei
    plural
  1. Astronomy. the region at the center of a galaxy, such as the Milky Way; often contains one or more black holes.


galactic nucleus Scientific  
  1. The center of a galaxy, usually small, very bright, and containing a high density of stars and other objects.

  2. ◆ An active galactic nucleus is a nucleus that emits more radiation than can be explained in terms of stars alone. Blazars and quasars are thought to be active galactic nuclei; the nuclei of Seyfert galaxies are also active, and are thought to contain an extremely massive black hole.


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Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

They then zoomed in on the signal of each galaxy's infrared burst to determine whether the signal arose from a source other than a TDE, such as an active galactic nucleus or a supernova.

From Science Daily Jan. 29, 2024

A quasar is an active galactic nucleus that is believed to be energized by a supermassive black hole.

From Salon Jul. 4, 2023

The second theory is that they result from the activities of an active galactic nucleus, with radio jets spewing particles to create the ORC’s shape.

From Scientific American Mar. 29, 2022

Active galactic nucleus activity in a GRB host galaxy is rarely observed, but is not unprecedented58 in nearby short GRBs.

From Nature Oct. 15, 2017

How does the presence of an active galactic nucleus in a starburst galaxy affect the starburst process?

From Textbooks Oct. 13, 2016

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