What If a Blazar Entered Our Solar System?

This episode is sponsored by Morning Brew. Get up to speed on business, finance, and tech in just 5 minutes with their newsletter. We've explored many disasters Earth could face: from asteroids and aliens, to the Sun's death. Yet the Universe is perilous, and a new threat emerges—a blazar. Typically found at the galaxy's center, blazars are black holes of immense mass. For context, the Milky Way's black hole is four million times the mass of the Sun, but pales in comparison to others. This episode investigates the oldest blazar, visibility differences among blazars, the Doppler effect's role in detecting blazars, active galactic nuclei, and the impact of radiation and gamma rays on Earth. We also discuss the distance of Markarian 421 from our planet. For transcript and sources, visit What If Show. Discover our 100 best episodes compiled in a book: The What If 100. Join our channel for exclusive perks: YouTube Membership. Watch more scenarios: Planet Earth, The Cosmos, Technology, Your Body, Humanity. Merchandise: What If Store. Suggest an episode: Suggest What If. Newsletter: Subscribe. Feedback and inquiries: Contact Us. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. What If is a web series exploring hypothetical worlds and possibilities. Produced by Underknown in Toronto: Underknown. #blazar #solarsystem #blackhole #Dopplereffect #activegalacticnuclei #radiation #gammarays #Markarian421 See show notes: https://inlet.fm/what-if-science-theories-possibilities/episodes/681d86a3e64c4b83e7e51950 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices