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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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See Examples For:

"It is the only galactic nucleus close enough to Earth for us to study in such fine detail," Barnes explains.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 5, 2026

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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