ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Microquasar

A microquasar is like a tiny version of a quasar, which is a very bright and powerful object in space that emits a lot of energy. A microquasar is formed when a star that is similar to our Sun dies and becomes a black hole, which is a really strong gravity puller. The black hole pulls in gas from a nearby star or a cloud of gas, and the gas gets really hot and starts to spin around the black hole. This spinning gas emits a lot of energy in the form of X-rays and other types of radiation, which can be detected by telescopes on Earth and in space.

Now, imagine you are playing in a sandbox and you want to make a little tornado. You start to spin the sand around with your hands and soon you get a little whirlwind! This is a bit like what happens around a microquasar, but on a much bigger scale. The black hole is like your hands, pulling in the gas and making it spin faster and faster. Eventually, the spinning gas gets so hot that it starts to emit X-rays, which are a type of light that we can't see with our eyes.

Scientists study microquasars to try and understand how black holes work and how they affect their surroundings in space. They also use microquasars to study high-energy radiation and how it travels through space. So, while microquasars may be small compared to quasars, they still hold a lot of important information for scientists to explore!