Was The Milky Way Ever A Quasar?

Home of the humans, the Milky Way is more than just the name of a delicious white chocolate bar.

The Milky Way is the name of our galaxy; it describes the planets, stars, asteroids, and just about anything else inside our solar system.

But what if we were to look at the Milky Way from outside? What would we see?

The Milky Way Galaxy is made up of billions of stars, gas clouds, dust, and other things that make up our home in space.

We can’t see all this stuff because it’s so far away, but scientists have been able to figure out how much matter there is in the universe by studying its light.

This means they can tell us exactly how many stars are in the Milky Way, which gives them an idea of how big our galaxy is.

They also know how fast everything is moving around the center of the Milky Way, which helps them understand where all the stars came from.

What Is A Quasar?

A quasar is a very bright object that emits huge amounts of energy. It looks like a star or even a black hole. In reality, it’s not quite either one.

Instead, it’s a supermassive black hole with a mass that’s millions (or even billions) of times greater than the sun. These black holes are found at the centers of galaxies.

When you think about it, these giant black holes are pretty amazing. Not only do they hold onto tons of matter, but they also create their gravity. That’s why they’re called supermassive black holes.

Quasars are usually found in the early stages of a galaxy. As a result, they’re extremely active. They emit as much energy as hundreds of thousands of suns.

Scientists believe that when a massive star dies, it collapses into a black hole. Then, the black hole starts feeding on the surrounding matter. As it does, it gets bigger and brighter. Eventually, it becomes a quasar.

Quasars come in two types: radio-loud and radio-quiet. Radio-quiet quasars are less powerful than radio-loud ones.

However, they still produce enough energy to be seen from Earth. Radio-loud quasars are the most famous type. They’re so bright that they can be seen across the entire sky.

Was The Milky Way Ever A Quasar?

Scientists don’t know for sure whether the Milky Way was ever a quasar. However, they think that it probably was. After all, it has lots of black holes and plenty of matter.

If it was once a quasar, then it must have had some sort of explosion. This could explain why the Milky Way has so many new stars. It’s possible that the explosion caused the Milky Way to expand outward.

We know that the Milky Way isn’t expanding now. So, it potentially might not have been a quasar. Still, there’s no way to prove that it wasn’t.

There may be evidence that suggests otherwise. For example, astronomers have discovered several young stars near the galactic center.

They’ve also found lots of dark matter near the center. Dark matter is something that doesn’t interact with normal matter.

It’s mostly empty space. Astronomers think that dark matter is leftover material from the quasar explosion.

If the Milky Way were once a quasar and exploded, it would have created lots of stars. And that would mean that there should be lots of carbon in the galaxy.

Carbon is a chemical element that makes up the DNA of living organisms. It’s also used in rocket fuel.

Unfortunately, scientists haven’t been able to find much carbon in the Milky Way. This is evidence against the Milky Way exploding as a quasar.

If the Milky Way did explode, it would have made lots of other things change too. For instance, it would have expanded outwards.

This would have changed how light travels through the galaxy. As a result of this change, we wouldn’t see as many stars. We wouldn’t be able to see the whole galaxy either.

Therefore, as you can see, we can’t conclusively answer whether the Milky Way ever was a quasar. However, we can say that it’s highly likely that it was.

What If There Was A Quasar Right Now In The Milky Way?

Let’s say that a sudden quasar appeared at the center of the Milky Way right now. How would it affect life on earth?

Would it affect life on earth? The answer is yes! Here’s what would happen if such a thing were to occur:

1) The Sun would get very hot.
2) The Earth would become uninhabitable.
3) Life on Earth would end.
4) People would die.
5) More people would die.
6) Even more people would die.

So as you can see, people would die. However, this is only one scenario. If the quasar were at a good enough distance from earth, far enough away that it couldn’t affect life here, then the answer would be different.

Instead of a catastrophe, we’d be treated to an extremely bright and big dot in the sky that would be visible at night. Aside from being shiny and pretty, it wouldn’t affect life on earth too much. 

Quasars are really big black holes. They’re located at the center of galaxies. They’re surrounded by lots of gas and dust.

Some quasars are radio-loud. Others aren’t. Either way, they’re incredibly bright. They also make lots of radiation.

The Milky Way is thought to be a spiral galaxy. It’s home to over 200 billion stars. The Milky Way is also believed to contain lots of dark matter.

All of this means that the Milky Way is an interesting place. It’s a great place to explore!

Whether or not the Milky Way used to be a quasar is an interesting theory. On the one hand, there’s evidence for this theory, such as the presence of dark matter.

But on the other hand, there’s evidence against it. If the Milky Way was a quasar, then there should be lots of carbon left in the galaxy.

That’s because carbon is used to make DNA. Without DNA, life couldn’t exist. Therefore, if the Milky Way were a quasar, then we’d expect to find lots of carbon. Yet, we don’t.

However, you could argue that because there are lots of new stars in the Milky Way, as you would expect with a quasar, the Milky Way didn’t explode. Instead, the Milky Way just got bigger.

In this case, the Milky Way would still be a quasar, but it wouldn’t have exploded.

Final Thoughts

So, as you can see, we can’t conclusively say whether or not the Milky Way was a former quasar.

However, given how old the Milky Way is and how much we still don’t know about it, we do know that it’s very likely that it was.

However, one thing we do know for certain. You don’t want a quasar to form in our galaxy spontaneously.

Sure there’s a chance we could get a beautiful night light, but there’s also the potential for catastrophe.

So if you weigh up the potential risk against the reward, then it’s safe to say we’re better off without a quasar around.