Active Galaxy Varieties

Galaxies with actively feeding supermassive black holes display spectacular phenomena. Seyfert galaxies have bright compact nuclei visible alongside their spiral arms. Radio galaxies produce enormous jets of plasma extending millions of light-years into intergalactic space. Blazars are AGN with jets pointed directly at Earth.

These active galaxies are powered by the same mechanism — matter falling into a supermassive black hole and releasing gravitational energy. The different appearances are largely a matter of viewing angle. A blazar seen from the side would appear as a radio galaxy.