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Blazar-type quasar From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
CTA 102, also known by its B1950 coordinates as 2230+114 (QSR B2230+114) and its J2000 coordinates as J2232+1143 (QSO J2232+1143), is a blazar-type quasar discovered in the early 1960s by a radio survey carried out by the California Institute of Technology.[3] It has been observed by a large range of instruments since its discovery, including WMAP, EGRET, GALEX, VSOP and Parkes,[1] and has been regularly imaged by the Very Long Baseline Array since 1995.[4] It has also been detected in gamma rays, and a gamma-ray flare has been detected from it.[5]
CTA 102 | |
---|---|
Observation data (Epoch J2000) | |
Constellation | Pegasus |
Right ascension | 22h 32m 36.4s[1] |
Declination | +11° 43′ 51s″[1] |
Redshift | 1.037[1] |
Distance | 8 billion light years[2] |
Other designations | |
CTA-102, Q2230+11, QSR B2230+114, QSO J2232+1143, 4C +11.69, PGC 2819036 | |
See also: Quasar, List of quasars |
In 1963 Nikolai Kardashev proposed that the then-unidentified radio source could be evidence of a Type II or III extraterrestrial civilization on the Kardashev scale.[3] Follow-up observations were announced in 1965 by Gennady Sholomitskii, who found that the object's radio emission was varying;[6] a public announcement of these results on April 12, 1965, caused a worldwide sensation.[7] The idea that the emission was caused by a civilization was rejected when the radio source was later identified as one of the many varieties of a quasar.[3]
The American folk rock band The Byrds whimsically reflected the original view that CTA-102 was a sign of extraterrestrial intelligence in their song "C.T.A.-102" from their 1967 album Younger Than Yesterday.[8]
In late 2016 CTA 102, usually glowing around magnitude +17, had a bright outburst in visible light to magnitude +11 (~250 times brighter than usual).[9][10] This likely was the most luminous blazar state ever observed,[11] with an absolute magnitude in excess of -32.
A new outburst began in December 2017, with increased gamma-ray[12] and optical activity.[13] As of 22 December 2017, it has reached magnitude +14.[14]
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