A blazar is a galaxy whose central nucleus is bright at wavelengths from the low energy radio band to high energy gamma rays (each gamma ray photon is over a hundred million times more energetic than the X-rays seen by the Chandra X-ray Observatory). Astronomers think that the blazar nucleus contains a supermassive black hole, similar to a quasar nucleus. The emission results when matter falls onto the vicinity of the black hole and erupts into powerful, narrow jets of radiating charged particles moving close to the speed of light. Two defining characteristics of blazars, strong radio emission and high variability, are results of the accretion and jets.