Model 4: Active Galaxies

Active galaxies are referred to as such because their supermassive central black holes are still actively absorbing and emitting matter from their accretion disks. 

Matter swirling around the accretion disk collides with other matter and loses energy. This loss of energy causes the pull of the blackhole to dominate the fling of the matter. The matter falling into the blackhole is so hot that it becomes ionized. When this ionized matter crosses the blackhole's extremely powerful magnetic field, it follows the lines in the form of synchrotron radiation. This radiation is emitted from the north and south magnetic poles of the blackhole. Synchrotron radiation has a continuous spectrum and is very energetic. This radiation is emitted in the form of jets that can span trillions of light years before ending because of a collision with interstellar medium. 

Active galaxies are only viewed at extreme redshifts because of their prevalence during the beginning of the universe. This prevalence is because during the early universe all of the matter was closer together and hotter--these qualities are prime for blackholes that absorb their accretion disk material. It is likely that our galaxy in the past was active. 

The Unified Theory of Active Galaxies explains the different phenomena that one can observe about Active Galaxies. 

1. Blazars are active galaxies viewed looking at the jets straight on. One would see a very bright, very redshifted "star". 

2. Quasars are active galaxies viewed slantwise from the jets. One would see a very bright, very redshifted "star" as well as fuzz surrounding the star. The fuzz spectra would have absorption lines and the bright jet would show emission lines like synchrotron radiation. 

3. Radio galaxies are active galaxies viewed from the side. One would see a galaxy with two high energy jets bursting from its sides. 

-Seyfert galaxies are radio galaxies seen from an angle that exposes both jets but one may be shortened.