Markarian galaxies

Markarian galaxies

(mar-kair -ee-ăn) A number of galaxies that were discovered by the Soviet astronomer B.E. Markarian in the 1970s to have a strong ultraviolet continuum. The ultraviolet sources are either concentrated in a bright nucleus or are distributed throughout a more diffuse object. The former group consists of Seyfert galaxies and quasars; the latter group are galaxies where star formation has recently taken place.