Astronomy:CTA-102

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Short description: Blazar-type quasar
CTA 102
SDSS image of CTA 102.
Observation data (Epoch J2000)
ConstellationPegasus
Right ascension 22h 32m 36.4s[1]
Declination+11° 43′ 51s″[1]
Redshift1.037[1]
Distance8 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]]

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]

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]

CTA 102 displays a radio structure mainly made of a radio core and two other components. There is also a double knot feature.[15] Additionally, it also has two radio lobes described having flux densities of 170 and 75 mJy, with a jet found as curved according to high resolution imaging by Very Long Baseline interferometry at 15 GHz. This jet contains jet components moving with apparent velocities of 15.4 ± 0.9c.[16]

The quasar is also classified to be highly polarized with a flat radio spectrum, and such belongs to a classification of optically violent variable quasars.[17][18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "CTA 102 in the NASA Extragalactic Database". http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/cgi-bin/nph-objsearch?objname=CTA+102. Retrieved 2008-12-24. 
  2. ↑ Christensen, Andrea; University, Brigham Young (19 December 2017). "Galaxy 8 billion light years away offers insight into supermassive black holes" (in en). https://phys.org/news/2017-12-galaxy-billion-years-insight-supermassive.html. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "CTA-102". Internet Encyclopedia of Space; David Darling. http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/C/CTA102.html. Retrieved 2008-12-14. 
  4. ↑ "MOJAVE Sample: 2230+114". http://www.physics.purdue.edu/MOJAVE/sourcepages/2230+114.shtml. Retrieved 2008-12-25. 
  5. ↑ "Fermi LAT detection of a GeV flare from blazar CTA 102". Astronomers Telegram. 3 May 2011. http://www.astronomerstelegram.org/?read=3320. Retrieved 3 May 2011. 
  6. ↑ Sholomitsky, G. B. (1965). "Variability of the Radio Source CTA-102". Information Bulletin on Variable Stars 83: 1. Bibcode: 1965IBVS...83....1S. 
  7. ↑ Charbonneau, Rebecca (5 April 2023). "This Month in Astronomical History: April 2023". https://aas.org/posts/news/2023/04/month-astronomical-history-april-2023. 
  8. ↑ Rogan, Johnny (2011). Byrds: Requiem for the Timeless. Rogan House. pp. 317–320. ISBN 978-0-95295-408-8. 
  9. ↑ "Quasar CTA 102: Historically Bright, Violently Variable". Sky & Telescope. 23 November 2016. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/quasar-cta-102-historically-bright-violently-variable/. 
  10. ↑ "Swift XRT and UVOT flares accompany brightest ever gamma-ray flare of CTA 102". Astronomers Telegram. 1 Jan 2017. http://www.astronomerstelegram.org/?read=9924. Retrieved 23 July 2020. 
  11. ↑ "CTA 102 brightens up to the most luminous optical blazar state ever detected.". Astronomers Telegram. 16 Dec 2016. http://www.astronomerstelegram.org/?read=9868. Retrieved 23 July 2020. 
  12. ↑ "AGILE detection of increasing gamma-ray activity from CTA 102". Astronomers Telegram. 9 Dec 2017. http://www.astronomerstelegram.org/?read=11045. Retrieved 23 July 2020. 
  13. ↑ "CRTS-II Detection of Increased Optical Activity from CTA 102". Astronomers Telegram. 9 Dec 2017. http://www.astronomerstelegram.org/?read=11081. Retrieved 23 July 2020. 
  14. ↑ "AAVSO – WebObs Search Results". https://www.aavso.org/apps/webobs/results/?start=2017-12-01&end=2017-12-23&num_results=25&obs_types=all&star=CTA+102. 
  15. ↑ Rantakyro, F. T.; Baath, L. B.; Backer, D. C.; Booth, R. S.; Carlstrom, J. E.; Emerson, D. T.; Grewing, M.; Hirabayashi, H. et al. (September 1998). "50 MU as resolution VLBI images of AGN's at lambda 3 mm" (in en). Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series 131 (3): 451–467. doi:10.1051/aas:1998282. ISSN 0365-0138. Bibcode: 1998A&AS..131..451R. https://aas.aanda.org/articles/aas/pdf/1998/15/ds1432.pdf. 
  16. ↑ Fromm, C. M.; Ros, E.; Savolainen, T.; Perucho, M.; Lobanov, A. P.; Zensus, J. A. (2011). "The 2006 radio flare in the jet of CTA 102" (in en). Memorie della Societa Astronomica Italiana 82: 65. ISSN 0037-8720. Bibcode: 2011MmSAI..82...65F. 
  17. ↑ Taylor, Gregory B. (April 2000). "Magnetic Fields in Quasar Cores. II." (in en). The Astrophysical Journal 533 (1): 95–105. doi:10.1086/308666. ISSN 0004-637X. Bibcode: 2000ApJ...533...95T. 
  18. ↑ Larionov, V. M.; Villata, M.; Raiteri, C. M.; Jorstad, S. G.; Marscher, A. P.; Agudo, I.; Smith, P. S.; Acosta-Pulido, J. A. et al. (2016-09-21). "Exceptional outburst of the blazar CTA 102 in 2012: the GASP–WEBT campaign and its extension". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 461 (3): 3047–3056. doi:10.1093/mnras/stw1516. ISSN 0035-8711. 



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