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3C 279 (also known as 4C–05.55, NRAO 413, and PKS 1253–05) is an optically violent variable quasar (OVV), which is known in the astronomical community for its variations in the
/ref> It is also one of the brightest and most variable sources in the gamma ray sky monitored by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. It was used as a calibrator source for Event Horizon Telescope observations of
visible
Visibility, in meteorology, is a measure of the distance at which an object or light can be seen.
Visibility may also refer to:
* A measure of turbidity in water quality control
* Interferometric visibility, which quantifies interference contrast ...
, radio and x-ray bands. The quasar was observed to have undergone a period of extreme activity from 1987 until 1991. The Rosemary Hill Observatory
Rosemary Hill Observatory (RHO) is an astronomical observatory located near the town of Bronson, Florida (USA), about southwest of Gainesville, Florida. The observatory is owned and operated by the University of Florida, and opened in 1967. It ...
(RHO) started observing 3C 279 in 1971, the object was further observed by the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory in 1991, when it was unexpectedly discovered to be one of the brightest gamma ray objects in the sky.APOD: December 26, 1998 - Gamma Ray Quasar/ref> It is also one of the brightest and most variable sources in the gamma ray sky monitored by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. It was used as a calibrator source for Event Horizon Telescope observations of
M87*
Messier 87 (also known as Virgo A or NGC 4486, generally abbreviated to M87) is a supergiant elliptical galaxy with several trillion stars in the constellation Virgo. One of the largest and most massive galaxies in the local uni ...
that resulted in the first image of a black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime where gravitation, gravity is so strong that nothing, including light or other Electromagnetic radiation, electromagnetic waves, has enough energy to escape it. The theory of general relativity predicts t ...
.Observations
* Apparentsuperluminal motion
In astronomy, superluminal motion is the apparently faster-than-light motion seen in some
radio galaxies, BL Lac objects, quasars, blazars and recently also in some galactic sources called microquasars. Bursts of energy moving out along the rel ...
was detected during observations first made in 1973 in a jet of material departing from the quasar, though it should be understood that this effect is an optical illusion caused by naive estimations of the speed, and no truly superluminal motion is occurring.
* 16 June 2015, the 3C 279 had a large gamma-ray outburst, believed to be caused by injection of high-speed electrons in central, high-density region.
* Further observations with the Event Horizon Telescope during April 2017 provided a high level of detail to the radio jet, with a resolution as small as 20 micro-arcseconds
A minute of arc, arcminute (arcmin), arc minute, or minute arc, denoted by the symbol , is a unit of angular measurement equal to of one degree. Since one degree is of a turn (or complete rotation), one minute of arc is of a turn. The na ...
. They indicated a bent or rotating jet shaped by shock waves.
Gallery
References
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:3C 279 OVV quasars279
__NOTOC__
Year 279 ( CCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Probus and Paternus (or, less frequently, year 1032 ...
Virgo (constellation)
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